The book every dance family needed before the first audition.

Choosing a College Dance Program: The Realest Guide to Decision-Making, Program Evaluation, and Financial Reality for Parents, Guardians, and Students

Michael D. Medcalf, MFA

Release date: July 20, 2026 · $9.99

Preorder on Amazon

Choosing a College Dance Program book cover

#1 in New Releases in Dance Reference on Amazon · Preorder available now · Release date July 20, 2026

“Choosing a College Dance Program is an invaluable resource for students and families navigating one of the most important decisions in a young artist’s life. Drawing on decades of experience in dance and higher education, Michael Medcalf provides practical guidance, honest insights, and a clear roadmap through the complexities of college admissions, financial planning, artistic training, wellness, and career preparation. This is a thoughtful and much-needed guide that empowers students to make informed decisions about their future with confidence and clarity.”

Lawrence M. Jackson, MFA

Professor of Dance · Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs
College of Visual and Performing Arts, George Mason University

Why this book exists

Most families making college dance decisions are on their own.

Nobody explains what a BFA actually costs over four years. Nobody tells you the real difference between a BFA and a BA and what that means for your dancer’s life after graduation. Nobody asks whether the program has real mental health support, or whether the faculty actually perform and choreograph, or what the school’s job placement numbers look like.

This book does.

What’s inside

Two books in one. One for the family. One for the dancer.

Part 1 — For Parents and Guardians

Five phases covering degree types, program quality, financial aid, DEI, mental health infrastructure, auditions, double majoring, and making the final decision. Everything you need before the first campus visit.

Part 2 — For the Dancer

Nine chapters written directly to the student. Know yourself first. Audit your reality honestly. Find the right fit. Own the audition. Own the decision. This section belongs to the dancer.

Four practical tools included

Not just reading. Working tools.

Appendix A

The College Dance Decision Timeline — a semester-by-semester action plan from Junior Year Fall through the summer before matriculation.

Appendix B

The Program Comparison Matrix — score up to ten programs across eight criteria and compare them side by side.

Appendix C

HBCU Dance Programs Directory — a verified list of every HBCU currently offering a bachelor’s degree in dance, compiled June 2026.

Appendix D

The Program Offer Comparison Worksheet — for when the acceptance letters arrive and the real decision begins.

About the author

Michael D. Medcalf, MFA

Michael D. Medcalf has spent more than 30 years inside professional dance as a performer, choreographer, company founder, and program director. He has choreographed more than 80 original works across concert dance, musical theatre, opera, and dance for the camera.

He was the founding Director of the BFA in Dance at Alabama State University — one of the few HBCU dance programs in the country offering a BFA degree in dance. He later served as Program Head and Tenured Associate Professor at the University of Memphis, where he became the first African American to receive tenure and promotion in the Department of Theatre and Dance.

He has served as a grant panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

This is the book he wishes every family had before they made that first call to an admissions office.

The right program can launch a career.

The wrong one can cost years and thousands of dollars you cannot get back.

Preorder on Amazon — $9.99 Release date: July 20, 2026