Schools
Purchase Signs Student Exchange Agreement With Beijing Dance School
Members of the Beijing Dance Academy visited Purchase College last week to mark the beginning of an exchange agreement between the two institutions.
Purchase College dance students will soon have the opportunity to study abroad in China thanks to a joint agreement between the college and the Beijing Dance Academy.
"The relationship between the Conservatory of Dance and the most prestigious dance academy in China represents an exciting and innovative merging of the visions of training and creativity from two sides of the world," said School President Thomas Schwarz. "We hope this is the beginning of many future collaborations between our two institutions."
To mark the culmination of the agreement, an eight-member delegation from the Beijing Dance Academy, including the academy's president, four professors, two dance teachers and an interpreter, spent the day at Purchase College.
Their stay included meetings with faculty, a tour of conservatory dance classes and a visit to the Neuberger Museum of Art.
Carol Walker, Dean Emeritus of the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, facilitated last week's agreement through numerous visits to the academy over the past few years. After visiting several colleges in the Beijing area Walker said she found that Beijing Dance Academy's "mission and training objectives were the most aligned with the Conservatory of Dance."
While Purchase's relationship with the academy first began in 1995—when the Purchase Dance Corps traveled to China to perform in the International Festival of Dance Academies—Walker said that the implementation of an exchange program between the two schools will be "life-changing" for both American and Chinese students.
Currently, the Purchase Conservatory of Dance is hosting two Taiwanese students, a Fulbright scholar from Santo Domingo, as well two students from London and one from Australia.
Walker lauded Beijing Dance Academy for its distinguished faculty and myriad of dance programs.
"Beijing Dance Academy is the premiere institution for dance training in China," said Walker. "It has over 50 years of graduating classes in classical ballet, classical Chinese dance, Chinese traditional dance, dance studies and choreography and modern dance. Its alumni head the dance programs at many other colleges and universities in China."
The Beijing delegation's stay at Purchase culminated on Sept. 17 with the signing of an official student exchange agreement by Schwarz and Beijing Dance Academy President Li Xu.
