Dr. Julia M. Ritter, Dean of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance | Photo by Matt de la Pena

Friends,

Welcome to the 2024 Fall Semester at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.

The beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year marks an auspicious moment in the school’s history. Almost ten years ago, USC Kaufman admitted its inaugural cohort of BFA dance majors—33 aspiring artists who took a chance on an unknown.

Since then, USC Kaufman has built an impressive network of alumni and teachers and established itself as one of the preeminent educational and artistic institutions in the nation. If you need recent evidence, look no further than our July tour and the school’s debut at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and Boston University’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre. Boston alumni, USC Kaufman Board of Councilors members, and even USC President Carol Folt were on hand to see our talented BFA students in action. Bravo!

Later this academic year, we plan to recognize the school’s first decade of dance. The official kickoff of our 10th anniversary celebration takes place on May 3, 2025, when we honor our visionary founder and lead benefactor, Glorya Kaufman. More signature events in 2025-2026 will follow. We plan to engage our constituents, our partners, and the wider Los Angeles community to ensure it’s the best celebration it can be.

In tandem with that, the school is entering a new phase of its future. Plans are underway to formulate the next decade at Kaufman. I hope you’ll follow along as those plans become concrete.

Finally, I encourage all fellow Trojans to tap into the Kaufman Community. One of the things that makes Kaufman special is that everyone—faculty, staff, fellow students—can be a resource. That applies to all of you in the USC ecosystem. Please visit us regardless of your course of study.

I am excited for the year ahead, especially as we mark ten years of great success. Sprinkle in several student performances, a very exciting lineup of premieres from our Fall 2024 Artists in Residence and Faculty, and much more. Until then, welcome back to campus and a new beginning. As always, we Dance On!

Sincerely,

Dr. Julia M. Ritter
Dean, USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance