Celebrating 90 years of dance at UW-Madison
California dancer and choreographer Anna Halprin’s work “Circle the Earth,” which was staged for the Dance Department by guest artist Jamie McHugh (Halprin’s protégé), will open the concert series on Wednesday evening, April 26, at 6 p.m. Photo courtesy of UW–Madison Dance Department
Thanks to the leadership and vision of dance pioneer Margaret H’Doubler (pronounced doh-blur), UW–Madison became the first university to offer a degree program in dance in 1926.
Nine decades later, the Dance Department is celebrating this milestone with a full season of concerts and alumni events throughout the 2016-17 academic year. And the centerpiece of this yearlong observance of 90 years of dance at UW–Madison is a five-day festival April 26-30.
It is believed that Margaret H’Doubler taught the first dance class at an American university 100 years ago, in 1917, and then started the first dance major a decade later. Undated photo from UW Digital Collections
“This festival is a great opportunity for us to look back at our history and learn about the essence and spirit of H’Doubler,” says Jin-Wen Yu, professor and chair of UW–Madison’s Dance Department. “It also allows us to reconnect with many of our talented alumni while thinking about how we can strive to strengthen our department’s place as a leader in dance and dance education in the 21st century.”
All events during the festival are free and open to the public, with most being held in historic Lathrop Hall.
The festival includes six alumni concerts, 20 master class sessions and eight panel discussions and presentations, including a Friday Forum Lecture on April 28 by Stanford University Professor Janice Ross. The renowned dance scholar is the author of four books, including “Moving Lessons: Margaret H’Doubler and the Beginning of Dance in American Education,” which highlights the origins and influence of dance in American universities, focusing on H’Doubler.
“Dance education gets eclipsed too often in the legacy of dance history, so I say bravo to UW–Madison for celebrating this history and saying dance education matters,” says Ross, a faculty member with Stanford’s Department of Theater and Performance Studies.
Ross’ keynote talk runs from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Lathrop Hall’s H’Doubler Performance Space and is titled “Recovering the Body: Margaret H’Doubler at UW–Madison.”
Tags: arts, dance, performances