Hi! Like Mike, I am also not a dance student, but I wanted to answer this question because a bunch of the freshmen in my house took dance classes this year; a few for the first time ever. 

Although dance at Bennington definitely has a certain cachet to it, it follows the same general rules as any other discipline at Bennington - namely, that intro-level classes are truly introductory-level courses that require no prior experience to jump into. While it is true that some freshmen arrive at Bennington having already studied dance in some capacity, it’s not as if they dictate the challenge level of the courses that are already taught.

There is definitely a place for first-time dance students here. As with any type of introductory course, the intro-level dance courses focus on teaching strong fundamentals and building the framework upon which more advanced skills can blossom. Don’t be scared! Not only is dance accessible here, but like Mike said, there are a lot of opportunities for even first-year students to dance in the spotlight.

-Evan ‘13