Dance at Vassar:
A Proposal
Resolving a Conundrum And yet … despite all of this progress and all of these achievements, dance at Vassar historically has struggled to stand on its own. For many years it operated as part of the Physical Education Department; not until 2005 was a proposal for a separate department finally approved. In addition, Dance remains an elective, non-major Courtesy, Archives & Special Collections, Vassar College Libraries
Throughout the following century, dance at Vassar continued to evolve, incorporating a variety of forms and styles into its course offerings, from classic, aesthetic and folk to clog, tap and modern. In 1978, ballet was offered for the first time, and two years later the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre (VRDT) was created to introduce modern repertory. In 1982, VRDT held its first performance at the landmark 19th-century Bardavon theater in downtown Poughkeepsie, creating an enduring connection with the local community and inaugurating an annual tradition that would continue for nearly four decades. In 2006, Vassar’s Dance Department finally moved into a home of its own – the newly renovated Kenyon Hall, encompassing the 236-seat Frances Daly Fergusson Theater, the first performance space on campus dedicated to dance. Today, more than 200 Vassar students each year take Dance courses, which are taught by three full-time and five part-time faculty as well as two adjunct artists.
Dance at Vassar is poised to take a leap to a completely different level. As a panel of outside experts expressed in conducting a 2017 external review of the College’s Department of Dance, “The faculty, staff, and students and their sheer enthusiasm for dance at Vassar are among the program’s great assets. The dance program’s strengths lead us to encourage the department to envision a new phase of growth and integration.” With a substantial investment of resources, Dance at Vassar is in a position to enter an exciting new era.
Courses for academic credit are offered in modern dance technique, classical ballet technique, jazz, hip-hop, and Graham technique and repertory, as well as in choreography, improvisation, performance and production values. The VRDT remains a vibrant part of the program, with performances throughout the school year.
Dance has been an integral part of life at Vassar from the College’s earliest days. It was first introduced as a means for students to exercise – in itself a revolutionary idea for a women’s college in the 1860s. By the dawn of the 20th century, the College had come to recognize dance as an independent art form, with the first formal class, in aesthetic dancing, taking place in 1898.
A History of Progress and Achievement
Indeed, the study of dance can and must be an integral part of the liberal arts, integrated within Vassar’s setting of intellectual and creative exploration; exploring topics, both current and evolving, relevant to the field; offering a deeper base of knowledge in dance history and dance in society, with its cultural and political ramifications; and providing opportunities for interdisciplinary inquiry.
In December 2021, the faculty approved correlate status for the coming academic year – a valuable step toward enriching and expanding the Dance curriculum, bringing Vassar into line with other liberal arts colleges. With this important step, Dance is poised to assume its rightful place at Vassar. The caliber of the program is such that it has the vision, the leadership, and faculty and student excellence to pursue a path that could make Dance at Vassar a peer of the most prestigious college/university dance programs.
Dance has an inherently cross-disciplinary nature that aligns with the core elements of Vassar as a college.
Of equal importance, beyond the gates of campus the Dance program at Vassar is poised to act as a catalyst for social change, by creating opportunities to collaborate with the surrounding Poughkeepsie community through partnering with cultural organizations and K-12 public school programs.
But in order to achieve this vision for Dance at Vassar, the needs are manifold.
“It was at Vassar that I learned how to combine academic research questions with my dance studies, and I had the full support of the dance department when I choreographed and mounted an original work...Following my time at Vassar, I have gone on to achieve my MFA from dance from Sarah Lawrence College and have sustained a choreography and performance practice as well as a dance teaching practice in New York City and beyond.”
– Alaina Wilson ’17 Owner of Alaina Wilson Dance & Choreography
course of study at Vassar – the one remaining liberal arts program at Vassar that has no major or correlate, while every other performing arts department (Art, Music, Drama, Film) has a major. But all of that is about to change. Over the past several years, faculty have worked with students to design two Dance correlates, one focusing on dance as a performing art, and another exploring the many ways in which dance is integrated into diverse areas of society. In spring 2021, a survey of current dance students indicated that 37 of them would declare a correlate in Dance if given that option – a large number on a small campus such as Vassar’s.
The work of Vassar students and faculty across departments already has included collaborations with Film, Cognitive Science, Studio Art, Religion, African History, Greek and Roman Studies, English, American History, Psychology, Sociology, and Geography – and the Dance faculty is eager to continue this work.
The timing for Vassar Dance could not be more appropriate, as dance itself continues its ongoing evolution, from a form of recreation, to an art, to a physical language and means of expression that reflects our society.
Site-specific dance opportunities
Discretionary Funds
“My years in Vassar’s Dance Department deepened my training as a mover and gave me the chance to soak up repertory and wisdom that pushed me to new levels...I had the flexibility to create my own study plans within Dance — including an Independent Study in Choreography, a hybrid Dance and Cognitive Science major, and a semester abroad studying dance techniques in Israel.”
While the Department of Dance is fortunate to have some annual income from endowment, much more is needed in order for the department to meet its goals of both diversifying the curriculum and bringing dance out into the greater community. Initiatives to be supported through discretionary funds would include the following. Outreach to the Community
Possibilities for reaching beyond the Vassar campus might include a course to be taught in the Poughkeepsie public schools, with a culminating performance for public school students and their parents. Already Vassar Dance faculty are working in collaboration with Battery Dance NYC and its Dancing to Connect program.
– Maranda Barry ’16 Choreographer, Teacher, and Creative Professional
The FacultyNeedsPositions
Students and faculty have expressed interest in taking dance beyond traditional spaces and contexts. Resources to help support independent or group projects would enhance opportunities for our students and augment the power of expression through dance for a wider diversity of audiences. For example, as we envision a time when Vassar Dance students can engage with the local community by presenting on-site work, a portable dance surface that can be easily set up and removed becomes a vital necessity. (Most dance groups use a portable marley floor.) Such an addition to our program would make community spaces such as the Trolley Barn, the Family Partnership Center, local public schools and parks accessible for Vassar Dance programs.
A new endowed chair in Dance would secure the future of the department and recognize a leading faculty member. Additional funds would allow Vassar to bring a noted dancer or choreographer to campus as a member of the faculty each year to further augment and expand the offerings in the program. Vassar needs to be able to attract more top-tier candidates to instruct in Dance, preferably one or two each year. The College’s internal resources currently prohibit such a focus. These instructors would teach new dance genres that reflect the diversity of Vassar’s student body (a course in West African dance, for example), as well as the depth of the dance world today; Dance History was the single most requested course in the Department’s survey of its students.
Professional Crew
The Department currently relies on a student crew whose hours are limited by the College’s work-study guidelines, as well as by the students’ capacity to work while attending to their academics. To cover its needs for the coming semester, the Department hired an outside crew to fill in for the additional hours beyond which the student crew can work. Additionally, the level of work is sometimes beyond the students’ training, and a professional caliber crew is needed. This need will become even greater as Vassar moves forward with its Dance correlate.
Vassar Dance currently brings extraordinary talent and diverse artists to campus despite modest resources. The Department envisions offering workshops in diverse dance genres to its students. Inviting experts in dance genres such Afro-Cuban, West African, Latin, or Classical Indian would expose Vassar students to global dance forms in a way that the College is currently unable to offer. The Department’s goal is to attract top-tier visiting artists to perform, give master classes and workshops, and serve as artists-inButresidence.Vassar’s location in Poughkeepsie can make it difficult for guest artists or adjunct faculty to come to the College. A round trip from New York City that includes taking the subway to Grand Central Terminal plus a Metro-North train to Poughkeepsie can take almost six hours. Guest artists and potential faculty who are based in New York, the “dance capital of the world,” have turned down invitations to teach or otherwise engage with Vassar dance students due to the lack of overnight accommodations. Providing overnight accommodations would make the trip more practicable. Indeed, a more substantial budget to pay, transport, house, and support the presence of world-class dancers and choreographers in Poughkeepsie would greatly increase Vassar’s ability to attract these talents as visiting and guest artists.
“The dance department was my support system during my time at Vassar. Not only did they grace me with incredible training and knowledge of dance, but they gave me the confidence, work ethic and love to pursue my dreams of dancing professionally on Broadway and television. I will always be grateful.”
– Mike Graceffa ’14 Actor, Dancer, Performer
Marketing and visibility Awareness of Dance at Vassar’s accomplishments needs to be increased, both on campus, to prospective students and their parents, in the Poughkeepsie community, and the wider world. Funding is needed for specialized video and photography, as well as other technology and equipment.
The schedule of performances in the Frances Fergusson Dance Theatre is expanding to a point beyond what the current student crew can handle. This is due to a greater number of courses focused on dance performance, a greater number of student independent projects and senior theses that entail choreographing and presenting new works, and increased theater use to present performances by guest artists in the dance field.
Visiting/Guest Artist Series
Financials
Investing in Faculty
A gift of $2 million could create an endowment that annually would generate sufficient income to provide funding for a wide variety of activities expanding the impact and reach of Vassar’s Dance program, on cam pus and particularly in the greater community. These activities could include, but would not be limited to: curriculum development;
Engaging Visiting Faculty
• dance education in local and community schools; • site-specific dance opportunities; the hiring of professional crew and staff; and increasing marketing and visibility.
• travel; • lodging; and • honoraria.
A Transformative Gift to Dance at Vassar
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• recognize a leading faculty member.
A gift of $3 million could create an endowment that annually would generate sufficient income to bring: a noted dancer or choreographer to campus as a member of the faculty each year; with the possibility of • two such artists per academic year for one semester each, or one for a full academic year.
A gift of $3 million could create an endowment that annually would generate sufficient income to support a new Faculty Chair in Dance, which would: help to secure the Department’s future; and
• lights; • equipment; • mirrors; • curtains; and • costumes.
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Expanding the Impact and Reach of our Dance Program
A gift of $500,000 could create an endowment that annually would generate sufficient income to address improvements to dance facilities and to working con ditions for the dancers. These would include, but not be limited to, upgrades and maintenance of:
A gift of $1 million could create an endowment that annually would generate sufficient income to support a Visiting Guest Artist Series for bringing a professional troupe or individual dancers and choreographers to Vassar to enrich the experience of our Dance students, by covering expenses including:
Creating a Visiting Guest Artist Series
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Sustaining Capital and Maintenance
A gift of $9.5 million could create endowment funding that annually would generate sufficient income to cover all of the above needs.
– Emily Lesorogol
– Alexandra Duff ’24
“Dance at Vassar has offered a creative outlet, a community, and a support system that has been so incredibly important to me these past four years. I cannot imagine Vassar without dance. Even though I am graduating this year, I would love to see Vassar’s Dance department continue to develop and thrive by offering students more opportunities in dance both recreationally and pre-professionally.”
“I’22often joke that VRDT was the main reason I came to Vassar. The truth is, if I had to do it all over again, it would still be my number one reason why. This company has been my community from the start of my freshman year through the most isolating lockdowns of the pandemic.”
Testimonials from Current Students
“The shared passion for dance creates a community that is so warm and special. It is a space that embraces differences and uniqueness, in its diverse styles, bodies, backgrounds, etc. We are allowed to be truly ourselves in the expression of the art –which is something that is not always possible in the dance world – and that is so freeing.”
– Laura Tylinska ’23
– Olivia Gotsch ’23
“The faculty members [at Vassar] are not only esteemed in the dance world but are generous and kind in their teaching and mentorship... I am particularly thankful for the guidance of Miriam Mahdaviani and John Meehan, who have provided high-quality instruction and taken care to showcase neoclassical and classical ballet repertory in VRDT performances.”
“I could talk forever about how VRDT has impacted my life but to be brief, I truly have found my home in this company and my fellow dancers. I am able to choreograph alongside incredibly talented individuals and professors, and feel encouraged and supported to achieve a higher level of performance.”
“The dance opportunities that I have through VRDT are all I could have hoped for, and the dancers and faculty of VRDT have been a huge part of making me feel at home during my first semester here at Vassar. I truly feel part of a community; a group of extraordinary people who care so much about dance as well as each other.”
– Camille Jannuzi ’25
“VRDT has changed my life and the pathways I hope to take in the future. Part of me is highly ingrained in Kenyon. My time in the building has provided beautifully strong friendships, a fierce community, and hours of artistic growth. Last year I kept going back and forth about whether I should return to campus. What stopped me from leaving was dance. It was the dance I was working on and the dancers I was sharing it with. Dance at Vassar, VRDT specifically, has been my North Star as I’ve navigated college. It keeps me tethered and I truly have no idea what I would or could do without it.”
Testimonials from Current Students
– Lily Gee ’23
– Zoe Mueller ’23
– Danielle Lomi ’23
“VRDT has not only offered me opportunities to develop as an artist, but introduced me to the most beautiful, inspiring, and empowering dancers I have ever met. Kenyon has been my safe haven since freshman year and I will be forever grateful for the memories and endless support that VRDT has created.”
For more information contact Tim Kane 845.437.5401 Master Classes and Workshops Desmond Richardson Jennifer Archibald Hofesh Shechter Daniel Ulbricht Zvi StellaMartineGotheinervanHamelAbrera(inApril ’22) Lecturers Steven LauriAlastairCarasMacauleyFitz-Pegado ’77 (in March ’22) Choreographers Desmond Richardson Jennifer Archibald Doug Varone Kate Weare Sean AmyDavidKirvenCurranBoydDorfmanHallGarner (in October ’22) Recent Guest Artists
