Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.). Dance Program
Biography
The Dance Program at Northwestern University emerged between 1978 and 1980, despite much controversy. In November of 1978, an ad hoc committee, lead by Raymond W. Mack, met to develop a plan for a dance department and, eventually, a dance major to be created within the School of Speech (now School of Communication). Recommended core courses included ballet, modern, jazz, improvisation, dance composition, choreography, history and theory of dance. The committee recommended a staff with a department head, one full time teacher, two half time professional dancers, teaching assistants, and student performing groups at two different levels. Practice would be held in Patten gym.
While both the Theatre Department and the Department of Interpretation expressed moderate support for the committee’s proposal, the Committee on Undergraduate and Graduate Studies initially rejected it, citing lack of resources and enthusiasm. The committee persisted and by July of 1979, a definite plan for the program had been agreed upon (see press release in Box 1, folder 1). Susan Lee, a former professional dancer and director of dance at Mundelein College, became the NU Dance Program’s first director. She emphasized the academic nature of the program, and the value of dance as its own discipline, aside from its theatrical usefulness. Under Lee’s direction, the program flourished, offering a classes, workshops, guest company performances, and Northwestern productions.
Talented teachers and guest performers, funded by both school funds and outside grants, contributed to the program’s growth. Choreographer Lynne Anne Blom (1981-1993) created several unique pieces for Northwestern students, including the lunar-themed “The Circle” (1983), for which Blom held practice at midnight. Even after she was diagnosed with cancer, Blom continued to choreograph, teach, and write about dance until her death in 1993.
Lee’s holistic approach to dance was reflected in the guest teachers and performers she recruited for classes and workshops. These ranged from Chicago choreographer Robin Lakes (a Northwestern dance faculty member from 1991- 2000 who presented and toured her well-reviewed neo-Expressionist dances from the mid-1980's through 2000 with her company, Robin Lakes/Rough Dance), to the Trinity Irish Dancers, the Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre, and the Ballet Gran Folklorico de Mexico. Diversity was further reflected in the school’s hosting of workshops such as the World Jazz Congresses in the early 1990s and the First International Argentinean Tango Congress in 1995. Homegrown Northwestern dance groups—Danceworks, the Northwestern Dance Ensemble (“N.U.D.E”) and the jazz group “Xcite”— performed on campus and on tour.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Records of the Northwestern University Dance Program
The Records of the Dance Program, filling three boxes and spanning the years 1974 to 2006, document the founding and development of the program, as well as materials relating to coursework, guest performances, and student productions. Materials include correspondence from the program's initial establishment, handwritten choreography notes, event schedules and programs, and newspaper articles.