Performing Arts at Bennington
Make New Work
Dance
From the first year, students begin making dances immediately. Over the next four years, they make and perform new work, whether their own or in collaboration with others. At the weekly Dance Workshop, students of all levels, from first-year to graduate, gather with the full faculty to show and respond to works-in-progress.
Drama
For each term that students take a class in drama, they also complete a technical lab, working in the scene shop, costume shop, or technical crew in VAPA, Bennington’s 150,000-square-foot home to performing artists. Students also collaborate with faculty on such productions as Angels in America, Parts I and II, How Water Behaves, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Music
Music at Bennington is dedicated to helping students grow in their ability to do creative work in performance and composition. Our faculty of active professional musicians and composers represent a rare diversity of musical traditions who share a belief in hands-on learning and the development of versatile, thinking musicians who are conversant with multiple musical perspectives.
At Bennington, students work closely with faculty to design the content, structure, and sequence of their study and practice, taking advantage of the College's resources both inside and outside the classroom to pursue their work. This is your Plan.
A Bennington Education
Step outside traditional majors. - At Bennington you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
You get graduate-style academic advising as an undergrad. - You will work closely with faculty to design the content, structure, and sequence of your study and practice—your Plan. In one-on-one sessions with your faculty advisor and in meetings with your faculty Plan committee, your teachers serve as both mentors and guides. They help you discover how your intellectual interests and professional ambitions might shape an education of depth, breadth, and rigor. They guide your progress to ensure that your Plan is challenging, academically sound, and significant.
You'll complete a minimum of four annual internship experiences. - For two months every winter, you will work with an organization or institution of your choosing, anywhere in the world, to apply what you have learned on campus and to focus what you study and make at Bennington—engaging the field that interests you without waiting for graduation. This is your Field Work Term.
You will engage a community of active makers and practitioners. - The faculty and administration are mentors and peers ready to engage with your work, in addition to being subject matter experts. The Bennington community extends far beyond the campus, offering connections to notable alumni, colleagues, and employers around the world.