Auditions in Dance

Important Dates

UC Irvine Undergraduate Application Period: October 1st - December 2nd

Audition Dates for Fall 2026:

Saturday, January 24, 2026 or Saturday, February 7, 2026

To apply for admission to the UC Irvine Department of Dance, first visit the UC Irvine Admissions website for complete details on application procedures and fees. You must apply online to the University of California by December 2nd.

In addition to submitting your application to the UC Admissions Office, you must complete a dance audition in order to be considered for the program. The department will hold two audition dates and applicants are required to register and attend ONE date. A registration link will be emailed to you after you have submitted your University of California application as a UC Irvine Dance major. It is important that you register for one audition date by January 1, 2026. Check your spam folder if you have not received the invitation to register by December 10th. Look out for additional email correspondence as your audition date approaches. You may email dance@uci.edu for assistance or questions.

No other materials, including resumes, photos, or letters of recommendation are required, nor will be accepted.

Audition Process

UC Irvine is committed to the health and well-being of all faculty, students, and visitors. The Department of Dance highly advises all participants to refrain from making travel arrangements until confirmation is received via email. The Department of Dance will not be responsible for trip cancellations.

Applicants will have two date options for a live audition, choose only ONE date:

Saturday, January 24, 2026

OR

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Auditions will be in-person. Participants are expected to be available ALL DAY throughout the duration of the event; no exceptions or accommodations will be made. All applicants must participate in all portions of the audition in order to be considered. Breaks will be staggered throughout the day. Dancers are reminded to please bring their own snacks/food and water to have while on campus.

Audition Details:

For all technique portions (Ballet, Modern/Contemporary, Jazz, Hip-Hop), all dancers shall wear fitted dance clothes so the entire body is easily visible, and shoes shall be appropriate for each genre. Hair shall not distract from the visible movement of the dancer nor impede their movement in any way. Please see examples below:

Ballet: 

• Solid-colored leotard and tights, or unitard. 

• Tights must be full length – no shorts or skirts.

• Shoes: Ballet slippers

Modern/Contemporary:

• Fitted dance clothes

• Shoes: Barefoot or socks

Jazz: 

• Fitted dance clothes

• Shoes: Soft-soled jazz shoes or sneakers

Hip Hop: 

• Free choice of typical hip-hop genre attire. 

• Please do not wear clothing with any labels, pictures, slogans, etc.

• Shoes: Soft-soled jazz shoes or sneakers

PLEASE NOTE: Dancers WILL NOT be given a break to change between techniques. Dancers may change their outfits if time permits; however, it is not necessary.

Additional Audition Information

Parent/Supporter Information Session:

Information will be offered in-person the day of the audition at 8:30 am. This is a presentation followed by a Q&A session led by Kelli Sharp, Dance Department Chair, and Amy Kim, Director of Student Affairs for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. It will also include current Dance majors to respond to questions about student life in the Dance Department and University.

Please direct all inquiries to dance@uci.edu

Incoming Freshmen Students

As well as satisfying University of California subject requirements for undergraduate admission (consult the UCI General Catalogue for details), applicants to the Dance department must demonstrate technical accomplishment and creative promise to succeed in the major. You are encouraged to develop abilities in one or more dance techniques such as ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, hip hop and ethnic dance forms. The department holds annual entrance auditions for potential freshmen during winter quarter prior to acceptance to the Dance Department in the ensuing fall quarter. Additionally, placement examinations are required of all entering dance majors. Placement examinations are given during Welcome Week in fall quarter and determines which levels of ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz and hip hop classes the student will take.

See the  UCI General Catalogue curriculum details.

Transfer Students

Ideal lower-division preparation for transfer consists of coursework that blends University of California admission requirements, degree requirements of the school and major of your choice, and the general education plan best suited to your interests and goals. Design your schedule to accomplish the following:

1. Satisfy general University of California requirements for admission as a transfer student. You may find more information on the University of California Transfer website.

2. Work toward completing your general education requirements. For students majoring in Dance, it is useful to complete your general education courses prior to transfer by way of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) if you are transferring from a California community college. Completion of general education courses will allow you to focus on the courses required for your major once you transfer here.

3. Work toward meeting the lower-division requirements of your school and major. If you plan to transfer to UCI in your junior year to major in Dance, we recommend that you take the courses listed below prior to transfer:

• An approved one-year sequence in English composition
• Basic training in ballet, jazz, and modern dance technique

4. If courses in the following areas are available at your college, completing them will afford you additional strong preparation for the Dance major at UCI:

• One course in music for dancers
• One course in injury prevention
• One course in Improvisation and Introduction to Choreography
• One year of Dance History

5. All transfer students must attend the entrance audition in the winter prior to acceptance to the Dance major in the ensuing fall quarter. After admission, transfer students must also participate in the placement auditions during welcome week in the fall. This placement level will determine the minimum number of years it will take to complete departmental requirements for the Dance major.

6. To ensure that you are taking the appropriate courses to facilitate your transfer to the UCI Dance Department, work closely with your college counselor, or contact the UCI Office of Admissions.

Post-Audition Zoom Q&A Sessions

Prospective students are invited to attend a post-audition Zoom Q&A session to ask questions and learn more about the program.

Session Dates & Times:

• February 18, 2026 | 8:00 PM

  Zoom Link: https://uci.zoom.us/j/3453242546

• March 31, 2026 | 8:00 PM

  Zoom Link: https://uci.zoom.us/j/3453242546

For additional questions, please contact us at dance@uci.edu.

Important Dates

Graduate Application Deadline: December 31, 2025

Audition Date:  February 27, 2026

Applicants for admission to the M.F.A. in Dance must meet the general requirements for admission to graduate studies and hold a bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.F.A. in Dance preferred) or equivalent. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of at least a B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) is required. Admission to the Dance MFA is for Fall quarter only.

Apply online at UCI Office of Graduate Studies by December 31st. All documents, including transcripts and letters of reference, must be received by December 31, 2025. The Department of Dance requires additional materials for admission to the graduate program. The Dance Graduate Admission Packet (link below) includes additional materials that must be submitted by this date as well. Auditions will be held in person on Friday, February 27, 2026 by invitation only.

Substantial financial aid is available in the form of fellowships and also in the form of employment as Academic Student Employees (ASEs) in areas such as dance technique, dance history and theory, music, video production, costuming, critical issues in dance, kinesiology, and injury prevention. Most MFA in Dance students are awarded financial aid.

Graduate students are also eligible to apply for various department, school, and campus-wide scholarship opportunities.

If you have questions, contact the Department of Dance at dancemfa@uci.edu. 

Additional Admission Requirements, Procedures and Deadlines

Fall 2025

1. Choreography/Performance Reel (Mandatory) and Work Links (Recommended)
In addition to the online application, applicants are required to create a 3-minute (maximum) choreography/performance reel which may be comprised of a single excerpt or multiple excerpts of work submitted electronically to the department no later than December 01, 2025. Upload your reel to either Vimeo, YouTube or Google Drive and email the link and any password to danceMFA@uci.edu.

Your reel must contain only the 3 minutes (maximum) of your choreography and/or performance with no introductory credits or need to cue up the video. In addition to your 3-minute reel, applicants may provide up to three additional work links to full works in your choreographic/performance portfolio as you wish (list separately in the email). Choreography and performance within any/all genres and aesthetics in dance are celebrated and welcomed.

2. Invitation to Live Audition

Once all application materials have been reviewed in December, qualified applicants will be invited to a live audition and interview with the faculty. Invited applicants will be notified before the end of January, 2026. Please do not make travel reservations before receiving the invitation to audition.

3. International students: read Important Information for International Applicants to the M.F.A. in Dance.

In order to be employed as an Academic Student Employee, you must also demonstrate your proficiency in spoken English with an oral English proficiency exam. This is true even if you have earned an undergraduate degree in the United States or another English-speaking country. The TOEFL iBT includes an oral English proficiency exam. 

Applicants should take the test early in the Fall so that that their scores will be received by the Department of Dance by the January application  deadline. The applicant must meet the Score Requirements for Admission Consideration  and that score must be received by the Dance Department by the department's January application deadline in order for the applicant to be admitted to the audition or to have his/her audition DVD viewed by the admissions committee. Applicants whose scores do not meet the UCI Score Requirements for Admission Consideration by the January deadline will not be considered for admission and will not be admitted to the audition. 

International students, contact Graduate Division if you have any questions.