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Bicoastal Experience

Fourth-year BFA in Acting students travel to Los Angeles to meet and work with leading industry professionals in on-camera acting technique, creating pitches, and navigating the industry as multi-hyphenates. The program is led by Wendy Kurtzman, CSA. Additional faculty include Shaan Sharma (SAG-AFTRA Board of Directors and TV/TH NegCom); Lisa Zambetti, CSA; and Jonathan Prince, writer-producer.

Past guests include Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i (EVP of Entertainment Diversity, Inclusion, and Communications at CBS), Mary Lou Belli (Emmy Award-winning director, writer, and producer), Aimee Rivera (VP Motion Pictures at Skydance Media), Candido Cornejo (Casting Director, CSA), Iris Grossman (Echo Lake Entertainment), Ilyanne Morden Kichaven (LA Executive Director of SAG-AFTRA), Gary Marsh (CEO of Breakdown Services), Mike Page (Director of Casting at TNT and TBS), David Rubin (David Rubin Casting), Mark Teschner (Teschner Casting), Seth Yanklewitz (EVP of Casting at MGM Studios), Carol Lynn Sher (Agent CESD/Head of Talent Acquisition), Tim McNeal (VP of Talent Development and Diversity at Walt Disney Television). Please note that additional fees apply.

Global Arts Training

Both the BA in Acting and BA in Directing International Performance Ensemble programs include a study abroad component. Students spend their fifth semester at the Institute of the Arts Barcelona in Sitges, Spain. They complete ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø academic requirements while training in European-based methods, including the physical acting techniques of Jerzy Grotowski, Michael Chekhov, and Jacques Lecoq; flamenco, jazz, and tap; masked performance; Linklater voice technique; and heightened language. Directing majors direct classic and contemporary texts while also studying scenography. Please note that travel fees apply.

Semester in Los Angeles

Third-year BFA in Commercial Dance students spend a full semester in Los Angeles to study Dance on Camera and Choreography for the Camera. The semester is taught by the LA dance industry’s leading choreographers and directors including:

Three-time Emmy Award-winning choreographer Mandy Moore; Jillian Meyers (lead dancer for Janet Jackson, Dancing With the Stars, and more); choreographer Jennifer Hamilton (MTV Movie Awards, the Academy Awards, Spiderman 3, Dancing with the Stars, and more); choreographer and movement coach Dominique Kelley (coach to Meryl Streep, Queen Latifah, Joaquin Phoenix, Serena Williams, and choreographer for The Masked Singer, Mariah Carey and more); choreographer and producer Scott Hislop (Starstruck, La La Land, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Titanic); Dominic Chaiduang (La La Land, Dreamgirls, Dancing with the Stars: Juniors), and many other guests artists.

Students also meet with representatives from the SAG-AFTRA Union and receive education about the union affiliation—critical to success in LA TV/film production environment. Dancers receive private class time and feedback sessions with agencies such as BLOC, CLEAR, GO2TALENT, MSA. A large percentage of the students are signed with the bi-coastal agencies after our LA Showcase.