Located in the small town of Bloomington, Indiana University Ballet Theater (IUBT) is one of the most prestigious collegiate ballet programs in the nation. In fact, the Jacobs School of Music – where IUBT is housed – was ranked second in American arts education institutions, only under Julliard.
Here, the degree program words in an odd and unique way. Instead of earning a BA or BFA, dancers work toward either a Bachelor of Science in Ballet or a Bachelor of Science in Music with an Outside Field (Ballet Emphasis). The outside field is what takes the place of a second major at IU, allowing students to gently pursue other interests. It is somewhere between a minor and an actual major.
To start on why this Indiana is such an incredible school, let’s just look at the space where it operates: The Musical Arts Center (MAC). The MAC is a beautiful theater space which seats 1,460 and is technically advanced, allowing for state-of-the-art productions. The stage is so large that it’s often compared to the Metropolitan Opera House and is one of the grandest in the nation. IU ballet performance majors get to perform on this stage as many as four times each year.
However, the ballet program also holds classes in the MAC facility, which only houses two studios. When I auditioned at Indiana, I noticed that – while the number of studios isn’t problematic due to the major being so small – each studio was rather small and lacked windows. If I remember correctly, one had small, blurry windows, and the larger studio had no windows. The walls are also concrete. If you care about having beautiful studio spaces, keep this in mind. But remember, no matter the studio, IU still provides an excellent education.
I will also say that when you consider Indiana, keep in mind that the adorable campus is nestled within Bloomington, a fairly small college town in south-central Indiana. I adored the feel of the campus, but it was hard not to notice that right when you get off university property, there’s little to Bloomington besides a few shops, restaurants, and a lot of sprawling suburbs. If you want to go to IU, know that you’ll be spending most of your time on campus.
Like I mentioned, Indiana’s ballet program boasts a notoriously small class size and competitive acceptance rate, generally estimated to be less than 10%. That means if you are accepted, the faculty truly believe you have what it takes to succeed beyond graduation. It also means more attention, more opportunities, and a close knit community.
Here are some of the other notable highlights from IUBT:
- They consistently perform amazing, company-level repertoire from a full length reimagining of La Bayadere, to a new Nutcracker production, to all the Balanchine repertoire imaginable, to works by renowned modern choreographers.
- Because IUBT calls the Jacobs School of Music home, they often get to perform with a live orchestra.
- Indiana has the best post-grad placement rate into ballet companies, to my knowledge. Check out where their dancers have been hired on their Instagram.
- IUBT has consistently had outstanding faculty from the Balanchine tradition for decades. If you want to train in this style, you can learn from the best of the best here.
Ready to audition? It’s a two part process which you can learn about here. Or, contact me and I’d be happy to chat about my audition experience at Indiana University Ballet Theater.