Summary Information
Wisconsin Dance Council Records
1966-2005
Mss 1017; PH 6457; VHA 589
2.6 c.f. (7 archives boxes), 127 photographs, and 1 videorecording
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of the Wisconsin Dance Council, a nonprofit organization established in 1966, dedicated to the promotion of dance and dance education in the state of Wisconsin. Included are membership directories, newsletters, programs, fliers, meeting minutes, and promotional materials illustrating the following major activities undertaken by the organization: hosting and instruction of workshops and conferences; presentation of awards honoring achievements in dance; publication of listings of all major dance studios and schools in the state; creation and distribution of newsletters devoted to dance; and development of surveys assessing dance education in Wisconsin. Also included is documentation of their interaction with other organizations in the state including the Wisconsin Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; the Milwaukee Modern Dance Council; and the Madison Dance Council. Additionally, there are photographs of the organization's awards ceremonies and workshops as well as a video recording of an awards ceremony.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01017 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The Wisconsin Dance Council (WDC), founded in 1966, is an organization devoted to promoting the appreciation of dance as an art form in the state of Wisconsin. The founding members of the organization met for the first time in April of 1966 and went on to adopt its bylaws and elect its founding officers and board of directors in June of the same year at the Conference on International Understanding through Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The founding officers included: Virginia Weiler as President, John Wilson as Vice President, Elizabeth Brown as Secretary, and Janet Starks as Treasurer. The WDC was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1968. In 1974, the organization added the position of Executive Secretary, which was initially held by Karen Cowan. Since Cowan was a professor with the University of Wisconsin's Department of Continuing Education in the Arts (now the Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts, part of the Continuing Studies Division at UW-Madison), WDC was able to obtain its official office address at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Lowell Hall. The WDC often collaborated closely with the Department of Continuing Education in the Arts, working together to publish a statewide dance directory that, in addition to chronicling the changing membership of the WDC, also provided a complete listing of dance instructors and performing groups in the state. The first of these directories was published in 1968.
The WDC organized its activities by committee throughout the organization's history, adopting and dissolving different committees according to the activities to be accomplished. Long-standing committees included: the Nominations Committee, which was responsible for nominating new officers and board members for the council; the Membership Committee, which kept track of the evolving membership of the organization and coordinated efforts to attract new members to the WDC; and the Education Committee, which spearheaded the council's efforts to promote the teaching of dance in Wisconsin's schools. Other committees present at various points throughout the organization's history include an Awards Committee, a Workshop Committee, a Conference Committee, a Scholarship Committee, and a Newsletter Committee.
The promotion of the teaching of dance in schools was (and is) one of the dance council's strongest commitments. In 1972, the Department of Public Instruction accepted the criteria for dance certification submitted by the WDC Education Committee. The WDC Education Committee continued to work closely with the Department of Public Instruction, eventually helping them to produce curriculum guides for K-12 dance students. The WDC Education Committee also worked with the Wisconsin Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (WAHPER) to encourage the addition of a dance division to the organization. In 1981, WAHPER changed its name to the Wisconsin Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (WAHPERD) to reflect the addition of the promotion of dance to its mission.
The WDC also conducted and published surveys assessing the quality of dance education in Wisconsin. The first survey, conducted in 1968, examined dance education in private elementary and high schools, public and private colleges and universities, and in private studios across the state. The WDC continued to conduct periodic education surveys throughout the 1970s, '80s, and '90s.
From the organization's inception, workshops have been an important part of the WDC's commitment to dance education, and the WDC held its first “get acquainted” workshop in 1966. The workshops have continued to be an integral part of the organization, and the WDC has hosted workshops on topics ranging from liturgical dance to Elizabethan dance to modern dance. In 1977, the WDC consolidated its workshops into a single annual event, the Wisconsin Dance Council Annual Conference, a weekend-long event that featured master classes, workshops, performances, and discussions of scholarly research concerning dance. The first annual conference was held in Green Bay, and the WDC went on to host annual conventions in cities across the state of Wisconsin, although after 1982 the conferences were held primarily in Madison, where the WDC was based.
In 1984 the WDC introduced its awards program, designed to recognize major contributors to dance in Wisconsin. Their first award went to Louise Kloepper, a former chair of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's dance program. In later years, the WDC began distributing multiple awards each year in categories like “lifetime achievement” and “career achievement” in addition to several “distinction” awards and awards for being a “friend of dance.” These awards ceremonies were often held in conjunction with the annual conferences, but in 1995 they became separate entities when the annual conference format was abandoned due to poor attendance and individual workshops again became the norm for the organization.
The WDC's annual statewide membership meetings began on May 27, 1967. Like the awards ceremonies, these annual meetings were often held in conjunction with the annual conferences. In addition, the WDC board met approximately four times per year to discuss the ongoing business of the council.
The WDC began producing a newsletter in the 1960s, which it converted into Dance Dimensions, a magazine published four times annually, beginning in 1974. Dance Dimensions was published until 1981, and the WDC returned to its original newsletter format in 1992. The newsletters and the magazines served to inform WDC members and the general public of dance events taking place throughout the state and the nation as well as activities planned by the WDC.
As a non-profit organization, the WDC received funding through grants from such organizations as the Wisconsin Arts Board, the Wisconsin Arts Foundation and Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Wisconsin Dance Council also cooperated with other dance councils in Wisconsin (the Milwaukee Modern Dance Council and the Madison Dance Council). Both of these organizations contributed to the WDC Scholarship Fund awarded to students of dance in Wisconsin. After the Madison Dance Council disbanded in 1994, all of the funds remaining after their dissolution were transferred to the WDC Scholarship Fund.
Scope and Content Note
The Wisconsin Dance Council records document the major activities of the council from 1966 to 2005, with no significant gaps or omissions in the chronological progression of the documents. This collection was accumulated during Cowan's involvement with the Wisconsin Dance Council as Secretary, Executive Secretary, and Executive Director. Major programs documented in the collection include awards, workshops, conferences, and publications. Also documented are the proceedings of board and membership meetings of the organization, which highlight the relative importance of various programs throughout the organization's history. The organization's evolving membership as well as the publicity materials associated with its programs are also well documented in the collection. In the collection, the activities and programs of the WDC are primarily documented by final products -– such as programs, newsletters or minutes -– that were distributed by the WDC internally or to the public; very few materials show the processes involved in the quotidian operation of the organization.
The materials in this collection are broken into eleven series: History and Founding Documents, Meeting Materials, Directories, Publications, Workshop and Conference Materials, Awards Materials, Surveys, Education Committee Materials, Collaboration Materials, Fundraising, and Photographs.
The HISTORY AND FOUNDING DOCUMENTS series contains four sets of records: one folder of undated material collected by the organization to show the history of the organization; a second folder containing the original proposal for a Wisconsin Dance Council from April 16, 1966; three folders containing the board meeting minutes from 1966, the council's first year of existence; and a final folder containing the organization's amended bylaws from 1980. The first file, called simply “History,” contains several examples of brochures that mention the WDC's mission and accomplishments as well as an essay written by a former WDC board member and professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, H. Clifton Hutchins, titled Wisconsin Dance Council: The First Decade 1966-1976.
The MEETING MATERIALS series is composed of two categories: Annual Meeting Materials and Board Meeting Materials. The Annual Meeting Materials consist of folders arranged chronologically from 1967 to 2005. The folders contain statements and reports from the WDC's annual membership meetings as well as agendas and minutes from those meetings. Several folders (specifically, those from 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1979) also contain annual budgets for the WDC, and some contain programs from annual meetings. The Board Meeting Materials consist of folders, also arranged chronologically from 1967 to 2005, that contain, in addition to agendas and minutes from WDC board meetings, other materials distributed and discussed at these meetings. These materials include: membership reports, occasional rosters of board members and officers, and a few proposed budgets. Nearly every folder in this sub-series contains some piece of financial data in the form of quarterly financial statements, treasurer's reports, or statements of receipts and disbursements, but full budgets are rare. Annual budgets and/or budget drafts can be found in folders from 1973-1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, and 1995.
The DIRECTORIES series is also composed of two categories: Membership Directories and Statewide Dance Directories, both ranging in date from 1967 to 2005. The Membership Directories contain lists of WDC members and their contact information. The Statewide Dance Directories are directories compiled by the WDC in cooperation with the Department of Continuing Education in the Arts. The statewide directories list dance teachers, dance programs, and dance studios throughout the state. They also often contain rosters of WDC officers with information similar to that contained in the Membership Directories, despite the fact that the statewide directories were separate publications.
The PUBLICATIONS series contains two categories: Newsletters and Dance Dimensions. The Newsletters contain issues of the newsletter produced by the organization spanning two significant date ranges. The first set of newsletters begins in 1967 and contains only select examples of the newsletters produced during each year until 1971. The collection does not contain a full run of the newsletter during this time period. The later set of newsletters is noticeably more complete, containing all issues of the newsletter from the spring of 1992 to the spring of 2005. The Dance Dimensions category contains multiple copies of the Dance Dimensions magazine published by the WDC. There is not a full run of issues. Most notably lacking are the first three issues of the magazine from 1974.
The WORKSHOP AND CONFERENCE MATERIALS series begins with the contents of a scrapbook that was compiled with newspaper clippings, press releases, and photographs from various WDC workshops from 1966 to 1973. The remainder of the series is composed of folders arranged chronologically beginning in 1966 and continuing until 2005. Materials found in this series (although not necessarily for every year or workshop) include: brochures, press releases, schedules, fliers, programs, and occasional news clippings. Notable in this series is a single grant application for a series of workshops in 1970, the only such evidence of the grant application process present in the collection.
The AWARDS MATERIALS series is also arranged chronologically, and it begins in 1984 (the first year the WDC gave an award) and continues through 2005. There is a folder for each year except 1990 (although an award recipient was chosen for that year, the ceremony held in 1991 recognized recipients for both years). Materials found in this series (although not necessarily for every year) include: programs from awards receptions, short bios of award recipients, banquet agendas, and invitations. Notable in this series is a copy of a report given by the WDC Awards Committee about the 1995 Awards ceremony, one of the few pieces of information about the operations of specific committees within the WDC. A single video recording of the 1998 WDC Awards Reception is also included, documenting the presentation of awards as well as several performances done in honor of award recipients.
The SURVEYS series contains copies of the surveys conducted by the WDC concerning dance education in Wisconsin. The series is in chronological order, but surveys were not conducted every year. The dates range from 1968 to 1995, and there are a total of seven surveys represented. Also included in this series is a folder containing the “WDC Criteria for Dance Certification” from 1972. These criteria were a direct result of the information compiled in the 1968 survey of dance education. In addition to the surveys themselves, material to be found in this series includes copies of the questionnaires used in the surveys and cover letters used to introduce the questionnaires to potential survey participants.
The EDUCATION COMMITTEE MATERIALS series consists of two folders. The first folder in the series is labeled “Promotional Materials,” and it contains several fliers and brochures explaining the mission of the WDC Education Committee. The second folder is titled “K-12 Dance Curriculum” and includes brochures and curriculum guides for general workshops proposed by the WDC Education Committee geared toward students from kindergarten through grade twelve.
The COLLABORATION MATERIALS series includes two folders that document the WDC's interaction with other organizations in Wisconsin. The first, labeled “1981, Wisconsin Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance,” contains two copies of the “Rationale for adding dance as a division,” a document explaining the important role of dance in any physical education program, submitted to WAHPER by the Wisconsin Dance Council. The second folder is labeled “1994, Milwaukee Modern Dance Council/Madison Dance Council” and contains documents related to the exchange of funds from the Milwaukee Modern Dance Council and the Madison Dance Council to the Wisconsin Dance Council. Both of these organizations contributed to the WDC Scholarship Fund.
The FUNDRAISING series contains a single folder with material related to the WDC “Style Shows,” fashion show benefits that the WDC organized to raise funds. This is the only fundraising activity documented by the collection.
The PHOTOGRAPHS series is composed of two sub-categories: Workshop Photographs and Awards Photographs. The folder titles and arrangements of these two groups mirror the arrangement of the larger WORKSHOP AND CONFERENCE MATERIALS and AWARDS series. The photographs in Workshop Photographs show participants from various WDC workshops and display the unique characteristics of these workshops, showing costumes worn and teaching styles employed. The photographs in Awards Photographs show awards recipients as well as performers at awards receptions.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Karen Cowan, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Dance Council, 2006. Accession Number: M2006-018
Processed by Katie Curler (Practicum student), May 2006.
Contents List
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Mss 1017
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Series: History and Founding Documents
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Box
1
Folder
1
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History, undated
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Box
1
Folder
2
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1966 April 16, Proposal for a Wisconsin Dance Council
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Box
1
Folder
3
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1966 June 18, State Meeting
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Box
1
Folder
4
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1966 September 10, State Meeting
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Box
1
Folder
5
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1966 November 12, State Meeting
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Box
1
Folder
6
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1980, Bylaws
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Series: Meeting Materials
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Box
1
Folder
7-41
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Annual Meeting Materials, 1967 May 27-2005 October 6
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Board Meeting Materials
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Box
1
Folder
42-70
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1967 March 4-1973 November 10
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Box
2
Folder
1-49
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1974 January 20-1984 September 9
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Box
3
Folder
1-79
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1984 November 18-2005 September 22
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Series: Directories
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Membership Directories
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Box
3
Folder
80-84
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1967-1973
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Box
4
Folder
1-25
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1974-2005
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Statewide Dance Directories
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Box
4
Folder
26-33
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1967-1978
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Box
5
Folder
1-5
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1984-2005
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Series: Publications
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Newsletters
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Box
5
Folder
6-10
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1967-1971
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Box
5
Folder
11-24
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Spring 1992-2005
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Box
5
Folder
25-31
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Dance Dimensions, 1974-1981
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Series: Workshop and Conference Materials
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Box
5
Folder
32
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1966-1973, Scrapbook Contents
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Box
5
Folder
33-34
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1966, Workshop - , 1967, Workshop
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Box
5
Folder
35
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1968 March 2, Exploring Movement with Children, Elementary Level
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Box
5
Folder
36
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1968 April 6, Explorations in Dance Movement, High School Level
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Box
6
Folder
1
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1968 May 15, A Day of Ballet
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Box
6
Folder
2
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1968 June 27, Lecture Demonstration: College Level
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Box
6
Folder
3
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1969 May 10, College Level Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
4
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1969, Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
5
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1970 May 15-16, Annual Meeting and Folk Dance Festival
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Box
6
Folder
6
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1970 September 19, Modern and Folk Dance Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
7
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1970 November 6, Teaching Dance to Elementary Children
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Box
6
Folder
8
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1970, Portable Workshops
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Box
6
Folder
9
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1971, Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
10
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1972 February 17, A Day of Modern Dance
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Box
6
Folder
11
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1972 March 18, Dance in Elementary Curriculum
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Box
6
Folder
12
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1972 May 21, A Day of Ballet
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Box
6
Folder
13
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1972 November, Modern Dance Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
14
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1973 March 10, Sacred Liturgical Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
15
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1973 April 29, Historical Dance with an Elizabethan Masque
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Box
6
Folder
16
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1973 May 20, A Folk Dance Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
17
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1973 October 7, Gus Giordano Dance Company
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Box
6
Folder
18
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1974 February 9, Dance and Movement for the Stage
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Box
6
Folder
19
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1974 May 19, Annual Meeting and Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
20
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1974 September 29, Ballet, Kinesiology, and Modern Dance
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Box
6
Folder
21-22
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1975, Workshop - , 1976, Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
23
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1977 April 30, Four Approaches Workshop
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Box
6
Folder
24
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1977 September 30-October 2, Convention
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Box
6
Folder
25-41
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1978, Conference - , 1995 March, Conference
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Box
6
Folder
42-44
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1999, Workshop - , 2001, Workshop
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Series: Awards Materials
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Box
6
Folder
45-60
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1984-2000
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VHA 589
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, 1998 Awards Reception Video Recording
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Mss 1017
Box
7
Folder
1-5
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2001-2005
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Series: Surveys
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Box
7
Folder
6
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1968, Survey of Dance Education
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Box
7
Folder
7
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1972, Criteria for Dance Certification
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Box
7
Folder
8
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1978, Dance Curricula Survey
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Box
7
Folder
9
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1985, Education Survey
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Box
7
Folder
10
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1989, Education Survey
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Box
7
Folder
11
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1991, Membership Survey
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Box
7
Folder
12
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1993, PE Teacher Preparation Survey
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Box
7
Folder
13
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1995, Dance Studio Survey
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Series: Education Committee Materials
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Box
7
Folder
14
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Promotional Materials, undated
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Box
7
Folder
15
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K-12 Dance Curriculum, undated
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Series: Collaboration Materials
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Box
7
Folder
16
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1981, Wisconsin Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
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Box
7
Folder
17
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1994, Milwaukee Modern Dance Council/Madison Dance Council
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Series: Fundraising
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Box
7
Folder
18
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Style Shows, 2002, 2003, 2005
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PH 6457
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Series: Photographs
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Workshop Photographs
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Box
1
Folder
1
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1970, Workshop
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Box
1
Folder
2
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1972 February 17, A Day of Modern Dance
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Box
1
Folder
3
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1973 April 29, Historical Dance with an Elizabethan Masque
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Box
1
Folder
4
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1973 October 7, Gus Giordano Dance Company
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Box
1
Folder
5
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1974 February 9, Dance and Movement for the Stage
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Box
1
Folder
6-7
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1975, Workshop - , 1976, Workshop
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Awards Photographs
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Box
1
Folder
8
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1986
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Box
1
Folder
9
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1988
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Box
1
Folder
10
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1991
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Box
1
Folder
11-13
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1996-1998
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