100 Years of Dance overview

While the Department of Dance was not officially established until 1974-1975, dance has had a lively presence on campus since the early 1900s. Officially placed on the books in 1909 as a course in “Aesthetic Dancing” in the Dept. of Phys. Ed. for Women, dance has continuously evolved on campus, reflecting key trends in the professional and educational fields. Over the course of a century, UM Dance alumni have distinguished themselves as leaders in the field of performance, choreography, scholarship, and education. Early dance educators at the UM were closely connected to ideas of progressive education, and a belief in educating the whole individual in experiential learning. By the 1960s the program in dance was moving toward a growing interest in professionalism, in keeping with national trends in the field of dance education. Since the 1970s the Department of Dance has steadily built its reputation as a leading program for training professional dancers and developing creative artists. Now a department with 60 students, 13 full-time faculty and 3 part-time faculty members, it continues to expand its reach and vision in the new millennium.

In celebration of this rich legacy, the UM Department of Dance is presenting a week of festivities, including performances, master classes, lectures, and a special exhibit at the Bentley Historical Library. June 10-11 there will be concerts given by Ann Arbor Dance Works, featuring faculty, students, and alumni. June 12, there will be two alumni dance concerts, featuring dancers from many different eras of dance at the UM. June 13-14 there will be a large-scale, multi-site-specific performance featuring alumni and current Dance majors, tracing the history of dance at the UM.