The Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) will receive a restructure this semester, according to an announcement from President Brussalis on Monday, Jan. 6. 

Starting Monday, the Dance Department was renamed to the School of Dance and will feature a new hip-hop concentration along with its existing ballet, jazz and modern concentrations. The School of Dance will also allow students to pick concentrations in concert or commercial dance, and a minor in choreography and musical theatre. 

“This was an idea long in the making,” Garfield Lemonious said, dean for the School of Dance. “With the work of our hip-hop dance professor Crystal Frazier, we can bring this idea to fruition.”

Frazier was unavailable to fulfill a request for comment in time for print. 

The rest of COPA was renamed Monday as the School of Theatre, Film and Animation. The rename is to increase cinema’s visibility, opportunities and prominence. This is meant to provide a better outcome for students, in addition to driving up enrollment numbers, according to President Chris Brussalis. 

“Enrollment wasn’t meeting our expectations in cinema,” Brussalis said. “We think the naming was hurting us.”

Anna Castleman, a sophomore dance major, said she agreed with Point Park’s decision to discern between concert and commercial concentrations.

“I think, in that respect, adding a hip hop concentration will support those people who want the kind of commercial composure.

“I’m curious to see how–if there are any major changes–how information is presented to us [and] what classes people have to take,” Castleman said, “Because concert dance and commercial dance are different things.”

The dance department change was triggered by its increasing prominence as one of the top programs in the nation and its necessity to expand, Brussalis said. 

According to DanceUs.org, Point Park was ranked alongside Slippery Rock University as one of the best Pennsylvanian dance schools of 2023-2024. It was ranked ninth in the nation by backstage.com.

To accommodate for the new programs, four new studios will be added and finished this fall, Brussalis said.

They will be built at 225 Blvd. of the Allies, a leased property located next to Thayer and Academic Hall.

The new studios will be outfitted with equipment and added dance faculty, according to Lemonious.

“With a new School of Dance, we can certainly enroll more students without impacting our conservatory model,” he said. “This supports the university’s strategic plan.” 

In the Fall of 2024, 364 students were enrolled in the dance program, up from 317 in the Fall of 2023, according to Lou Corsaro, vice president of public relations. 

Many of these students transferred to Point Park after the closure of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Brussalis said the restructuring was not triggered by the closure.

The change to a School of Dance also provides opportunities to partner with other schools, including the Rowland School of Business, the School of Communication and the School of Education, the release said.

Kiesha Lalama was named interim dean of the School of Theatre, Film and Animation. Her former title as Director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse was revised to Executive Producer.

Lalama said the title change will allow for better organizational flow, oversight of productions and new project development. 

Lalama will also be joined by Gary Kline, a nationally recognized voice teacher and pioneer in musical theatre. He’s been associated with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) since 1989, according to the website. He will act as interim associate dean for the School of Theatre, Film and Animation, the release said.

In addition, new support staff will be hired to provide new marketing strategies for recruitment/enrollment growth and community engagement, according to Lalama.

“In partnership with Gary and our gifted faculty, we are well-positioned for success,” Lalama said in the release. “Establishing this school gives us the opportunity to cultivate multifaceted artists and develop dynamic projects for the audiences of tomorrow.

“We are lucky to have an administration that supports the arts,” Lemonious said. “That is not so at other peer institutions.” 

Lemonious added that, as the new schools progress, there will be more programs to come.

Co-News Editor Gavin Petrone assisted with reporting on this article.