Point Park University establishes schools of Dance and Theatre

Point Park University is establishing schools of dance and theatre. Up to now both were departments within its Conservatory of Performing Arts. The rationale is growth as the university aims to grow the enrollment and reach of its nationally known conservatory.

The conservatory now houses a School of Dance and School of Theatre, Film and Animation. Previously, the conservatory had three departments — dance, theatre and cinema arts — with programs and majors housed in each department.

The highly competitive conservatory has an acceptance rate of just 10%, compared to Point Park’s overall acceptance rate of 80%. Offering majors in acting, cinema production, screenwriting and more, the conservatory draws performing arts students from all over the country.

With the addition of the new schools will come a new concentration. The Downtown university is introducing a hip hop concentration within the School of Dance.

Elevation from department to school also means the School of Dance will hire new faculty and construct four new dance studios, according to Garfield Lemonius, dean of the School of Dance.

Another benefit is that creating the new schools will heighten the visibility of Point Park’s academic offerings.