Tips and Tricks for Your Virtual Dance Scholarship Application

We’re in a brave new world of all-online scholarship application and adjudication process. Students entering PLU in fall 2021 as a first-year or transfer student with an interest in the Dance minor can still apply for an Artistic Achievement Award in Dance. Read more in this blog post for answers to frequently asked questions.

How do I apply?
Apply online via Acceptd, a website that many arts programs and schools use for admissions and competitions. You must also officially apply to PLU (if you haven’t already) but you do not need to have received your acceptance letter in order to apply for Artistic Achievement Awards.

What’s the application deadline?
Submit all your materials no later than 5pm Pacific on Monday, February 8, 2021.

What are the questions that I need to answer on the application?
We ask basic questions about you and how to contact you. We also ask for a Dance resume, a headshot, and two recorded dance performances in different styles. The application provides examples of these if you need to reference them.

What do I include in my audition videos?
Each video should be its own video file lasting 90-120 seconds (up to two minutes). The videos should present two different dance styles, ideally with the applicant as a solo dancer, but if more than one dancer is in the frame, the applicant must be clearly identified. Please credit the choreographer; original choreography is strongly encouraged when possible.

Do my audition videos have to be unique just for this scholarship?
No, they do not. We can accept clips from performance videos, class work, or improvisation in your dance genres.

Where do I upload my video submissions?
We strongly prefer videos uploaded to an outside video host, such as YouTube or Vimeo. Many services are free when you sign up with your email address. In the online application, we have an info box to paste the link to each of your videos. We ask that you make sure that they are publically accessible and not password protected.

When will adjudications happen?
Faculty begin reviewing application materials in mid February. Finalists may be asked to interview with faculty, and if so, these will be conducted virtually.

When will I know if I’m receiving an Award?
Letters with Award notifications will be mailed as quickly as staff are able once decisions are made and paperwork is processed.

How do I keep my Award?
After entering PLU as a first-year or transfer student, you will need to declare yourself as a dance minor by December 1st, 2021. If your Dance minor is dropped during your time at PLU, the Award will be revoked. Once you receive an Award, you will never have to audition for it again.

Have more questions that aren’t answered here?
Please reach out to the Chair of Theatre & Dance, Tom Smith, at smithtt@plu.edu.