Dance students learn the STEPS on Broadway

by Alan Flurry

The Franklin College department of dance showcases the talents of some of UGA's most exceptionally curious and wildly creative students. The inaugural Domestic Field Study Fellows program, an opportunity for selected faculty to develop and launch a new course-based study away program within the United States, sent a troupe of 11 University of Georgia dance students to immerse themselves in the mecca of professional dance, New York City this past summer. Participants met with professionals and gained audition experience while touring the Big Apple:

The trip was the first Domestic Field Study program led by UGA’s Department of Dance. UGA’s Domestic Field Study programs allow students to “Study Away in the USA” with site-specific, experiential learning opportunities across the United States. 

Over three weeks, students explored world-renowned dance centers, such as STEPS on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, and Gibney Dance Center, and joined in more than 15 dance classes taught by professional instructors. Each student could choose the level of difficulty and dance technique for each class. 

“This was really an experience of a lifetime,” said Amelia Cassidy, a second-year student majoring in marketing and sports management and minoring in dance. “There’s nothing like this out there right now. We got to take classes with working professional dancers in New York, several of which we all grew up watching.”