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Choreography:
Sherri
Manfredi '76
The discipline of dance was formally established at William and Mary in 1941 by Professor Grace Felker through the Modern Dance Club and its subset of advanced students known as Orchesis. Housed in the Women's Physical Education Department, students studied Modern technique and Dance Composition, and they prepared an annual concert of student choreography which was eventually titled An Evening of Dance. Over the years, a number of company directors have filled the shoes of Professor Felker including Helen Black, Thelma Dodson, Blanche Duffy, Sophia Saunders, Lorna Burdsall, Catherine Edmundson, Gladys Warren and Rona Sande, and each spring students have been able to present their original choreography in well-received public performances. In 1963 Professor Carol Sherman became director of the dance program followed by Shirley Roby in 1964. In 1965 Professors Sherman and Roby were both members of the faculty, and they co-directed the dance program for the next 35 years.
Beginning in 1968, the course
offerings
in Dance were expanded. New courses included beginning through advanced
levels of Modern technique, History of Modern Dance, Group Choreography
and Independent Projects in Dance. DANCEVENT, a fall
concert
of faculty work, was initiated in 1977, and as the dance program
continued
to grow, a third full-time dance position was added in 1979 followed
soon
after by a fulltime accompanist. The Dance Minor was established
in 1982. The focus of the minor is choreogaphy, and in 1998 it
became
necessary to produce the first Dance Minors Concert in addition
to the Orchesis spring concert in order to allow all choreographers to
present their work. Additional courses have been added to the
curriculum
including Intermediate Ballet and Jazz, History of American Vernacular
Dance and the Alexander Technique. In 2000, Professors Roby and
Sherman
retired, and in the Fall semester the Dance Program moved to the
Department of
Theatre,
Speech and Dance.
The Dance Program is continuing to
flourish
under the direction of current faculty, Joan Gavaler,
Leah Glenn, and Denise Damon Wade. Some of our most recent activities
include: A new Physical Theatre course developed in collaboration
with Theatre faculty, the Roby-Sherman
dance scholarship was first awarded in 2005 for summer studies in
dance, students and faculty attended the American College
Dance Festival in 2004 and 2007, faculty and students performed in Journey to Destiny as part of the
Jamestown 2007 celebration, and a Summer Dance Intensive was offered
for the first time in June 2007.
Future
Plans:
The program brings guest artists to
campus so that students can experience a wider range of aesthetic
approaches to technique and choreography. Jane Franklin Dance from the
Copyright ©
2007, College of William and Mary, Dance Program