And the school just learned it will receive two years of university funding to create a dance touring company made up of faculty and students. The qualities that make the school so reputable also require faculty to wield a heavy hand when it comes to admissions. Of the 80 applicants who audition for entry each year, only 30 are accepted - because professors want quality students, studio space is limited and, most of all, faculty want to maintain the intimate atmosphere that prevails in their Putnam Hall home. You need to deal with individuals. Anonymity doesn't work here.
Dancers kick high at rehearsal.
An associate professor of dance, Van Pelt organized the school's Winter Dance Concert in March. But the title of concert coordinator hardly seems encompassing enough for Van Pelt, who spends long hours in rehearsals while juggling her regular classes and caring for her son. Snatching one of Lyle's fuzzy socks off her freshly washed T-shirt, Van Pelt rushes toward the dance studio. Lauer casually watches Van Pelt hustle to class as she leans against a concrete-block wall, a pile of homework in her lap. It's really a family here.