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Kamarck, Edward (ed.) / Arts in society: growth of dance in America
(Summer-Fall, 1976)
Hayes, Elizabeth
Dance in academe: [dance in the universities: yesterday, today and tomorrow], pp. 340-[345]
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Page 344
although science cannot make art, it can make for a more truthful art. Interest is being increasingly directed, for example, to a scien- tific examination of dance techniques and their presumed efficacy in achieving the tech- nical goals for which they were designed. There has also been a burgeoning of anthropological and historical inquiry. Research efforts to interpret dance literature and to unravel early forms of dance notation are making possible the reconstruction of dances from various historical periods. Other areas that offer challenges for graduate study are in such fields as education, ethnic dance, film techniques, aesthetics, and criticism. The imminent retirement of many of the dance pioneers who have created and administered many of the presently existing dance major programs has pointed to a growing need for doctoral programs that can prepare potential department chairmen for their administrative duties, in addition providing opportunity for further research studies. Although there has been a dramatic growth of interest in dance research, by far the most popular kind of graduate project or thesis is the choreographic thesis. Performance and choreography will always be of paramount importance to those in the performing arts. There have been a few courageous attempts to establish professional repertory companies in connection with dance departments to serve as living laboratories for talented graduate students, who in turn contribute a cultural service to their states and communities. Such companies, however, have proven to be far too expensive for universities to maintain without continuous outside subsidy. As a result, most such experiments, in spite of their obvious meirts, have been shortlived. Except for minor set-backs, dance in educa- tion is ceasing to be the Cinderella of the arts. More and more colleges and univer- sities are moving to include dance as a part of their major offerings. Some of these pro- grams are very good; others are less so. Perhaps as a result of student pressures or misguided ambition there is a temptation for dance departments to proliferate programs and to take on responsibilities for which there are insufficient faculty, facilities and adminis- trative funds. Marvels can sometimes be accomplished in spite of poor facilities and minimal finances, but a department can only be as good as its faculty. Recent hiring prac- tices by colleges of fine arts, deemphasizing the importance of advanced degrees, dwelling instead upon candidates' artistic talents and experience, have done much to give dance departments the freedom to employ the most qualified people wherever they may be found. Employment of visiting artists-in-residence can supplement the special talents of a regu- lar department faculty. But it is the com- petence of the regular faculty, not of the visit- ing guest artists, that ultimately determines the quality and reputation of a department. A wise plan for any department is to examine its own human and physical resources before deciding upon a course of action in establish- ing or expanding a department curriculum. Another important consideration is the faculty-student ratio. Although a physics pro- fessor can successfully deliver a lecture to a class of four hundred, students in the arts require a teacher's personal attention. A department that allows itself to become too large dilutes its ability to give service to its students. Finally, in order for a department faculty to operate effectively, an educational philosophy needs to be established to guide its mem- bers and to enable them to work together in mutual harmony. This is not to imply that all teachers must think or teach alike but rather that their various approaches to dance and modes of operation must be mutually supportive and contribute to the attainment of identified department goals. Professional dissension among a faculty is counterproduc- tive to progress for all concerned. As director of a dance major program over a period of many years, my personal philoso- phy of dance education has been based upon a number of assumptions: 1) Both creative and recreational dance are natural forms of human activity and the birthright of every individual. 2) Dance as a fine art provides an important means of human expression and communication. 3) In order for the dancer to realize this expressive potential it is neces- sary for him to master his art instrument, which is his body, through awareness of its movement capabilities, through creative exploration in the discovery of movement forms, and through acquisition of skill in the performance of them. 4) Dance in education should be approached in terms of movement concepts rather than in terms of personalized
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