The Julliard School for Dancers

The Julliard School is a performing arts conservatory in New York City that trains students in dance, drama and music. The school is located in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Its mission is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors from around the world, so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens.

The school offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts or a diploma.

History of Julliard

Juilliard was founded in 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art by Dr. Frank Damrosch. Damrosch created the school in order to provide an educational experience comparable to that of the established European conservatories. Nine years later, a wealthy textile merchant named Augustus Juilliard died and left in his will the largest single bequest for the advancement of music at that time. The trustees of the bequest founded the Juilliard Graduate School in 1924 to help worthy music students complete their education. In 1926, the Graduate School and the Institute of Musical Art merged to become the Juilliard School of Music. The School later changed its name to The Juilliard School to reflect its broader artistic scope, and moved to its current home at Lincoln Center.

Dance Program

Juilliard's Dance Division maintains a reputation for superior quality of education and artistic training. The school aims to train true contemporary dancers, trained equally in classical ballet and modern dance.

Graduates of the dance program join ballet and modern dance companies across the United States and abroad. Many students have become successful choreographers.

The Dance Division at Julliard offers four-year undergraduate programs leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts with liberal arts requirements, or a Diploma without liberal arts requirements. Most students in the Dance Division pursue the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In addition to dance and dance-related studies, the four-year degree program includes 24 credits in the Liberal Arts department.

Performance Opportunities

Juilliard’s Dance Division presents several public performances each year. In December, each class of students is featured in a new work choreographed for them for the New Dance series. In the spring semester, dancers have the opportunity to perform in established works from contemporary repertory. Also occurring each year is a Senior Production and a Choreographers and Composers concert, which presents the results of a collaboration of six Juilliard student choreographers with six Juilliard student composers. Dancers are also encouraged to present their own choreographed works in informal concert and workshop presentations.

Six Goals of Julliard

• Juilliard will identify and attract the most talented young performing artists from around the world and will strive to ensure that financial considerations are not a deterrent to their enrollment.

• Juilliard will provide an educational environment that fosters the artistic, intellectual, and personal growth of its students and prepares them to embark on successful careers and productive lives as artists and citizens, as well as to become leaders in their professions.

• Juilliard will continue to elevate its educational and artistic standards, remaining responsive to changing conditions in the worldwide performing arts community.

• Juilliard will continue to attract and retain renowned faculty members in all disciplines, by providing a collaborative work environment and involving them fully in the artistic and educational life of the community.

• Juilliard will uphold its commitment to the diversity of its community by fostering an environment that is inclusive, supportive, and welcoming to all.

• Juilliard will take an active role in shaping the future of the performing arts by providing exemplary arts education programs to the community and encouraging its students to serve as advocates for the arts in society.