Faculty Dance Affords Early Glimpse of Lathrop’s Remodeling

Lathrop Hall's gymnasium has been remodeled into a 250-seat performance theater for exclusive use by the dance program.

Audiences will get their first look at the first leg of the Lathrop Hall remodeling project at the UW–Madison Dance Program’s faculty concert Feb. 26-28.

The concert will debut the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space, a new 250-seat proscenium theater devoted to dance. Converted from the former Lathrop Hall gymnasium, the space features a computerized lighting-control system designed expressly for dance. The space also has a rear-projection cyclorama, fully wired to accommodate state-of-the-art video technology, and a raised dance floor.

Mary Alice Brennan, Dance Program chair, says the namesake of the new performance space, the legendary Margaret H’Doubler, would have been proud of the project.

“She was a pioneer who developed the first dance major in the country at the UW in 1926,” Brennan says. “She would have been thrilled to see students and faculty creating art and performing in this beautifully renovated building.”

During the last year, dance students, faculty and staff have been scattered across campus — and sometimes at rehearsal halls across town — while Lathrop is remodeled. Construction will continue through spring; a gala grand opening has been planned for Sept. 25-26.

The lobby just adjacent to the performance space will be furnished and redecorated as renovations continue. Also completed is the conversion of Lathrop’s old swimming pool into a new creative-movement studio with a new wooden sprung floor and new lighting and sound systems. Lathrop’s remaining three studios also sport new sprung floors, which afford extra flexibility and elasticity to protect dancers from injuries.

The inaugural concert will showcase solos by UW–Madison dance faculty Li Chiao-Ping, James Sutton and Jin-Wen Yu. A group piece by Anna Nassif, professor of dance, will pay tribute to Margaret H’Doubler. A traditional Indian dance by visiting professor Parul Shah will consecrate the space. A duet by lecturer Peggy Choy and graduate student Jessica Gaspar, a composition by professor Joseph Koykkar and a new work choreographed by Clyde Morgan during his week-long residency will round out the program.

The dance faculty concert will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets, $12 for the general public and $8 for students and seniors, will be available at the door.