Mission
The Department of Dance is committed to developing young artists as creative thinkers and problem solvers who may further the arts in society in diverse, urgent, and transformational ways. In all its endeavors, the Department of Dance imparts the values and knowledge necessary to making their dancing, dance-making, and movement practices, lifelong pursuits. We aim to equip students with the necessary artistic, creative, critical, and theoretical capacities that they will need to be successful in a changing world.
Vision
The University of Iowa Department of Dance aspires to be a national leader in illuminating the value of dance in higher education and in society through its teaching, research, engagement of communities, and service to the professional field. We seek to be known for our contributions to creative and scholarly research in movement arts, for our innovative curricula and pedagogies that connect doing, thinking, and making, and as an inclusive community of dance artists and scholars.
Goals
- Provide a rich, challenging, and diverse dance curriculum for our degree-seeking students and for those who major in other disciplines
- Illuminate for students the value and significance of dance as a form of embodied knowledge in a place of learning in the professional field, and in society at large
- Sustain and advance a high-quality academic and working environment
- Support the creative and scholarly research of the faculty, especially in ways that enhance teaching and promote diversity of thought, style, and approach
- Promote excellence in dance education in support of cultural diversity
- Encourage and foster artistic interdisciplinary collaborations
- Continue to hone and advance the creative and scholarly research of the graduate program and its graduate student community
- Serve the people of Iowa at the community, regional, and statewide levels through high-quality public performances and outreach programs
- Sustain, celebrate, and increase our national and international presence in the field of dance
Our History
The Department of Dance grew from roots in physical education at the University of Iowa. The Department of Physical Education was established in 1924, and with it, a major field of study in women’s physical education. The department was headed by Elizabeth Halsey from 1924 to 1955, and she was succeeded by M. Gladys Scott, who served as department chair from 1955 until 1974. In the early 1970s, Scott hired faculty members in dance who oversaw the development of dance curriculum that eventually led to the establishment of a dance major, and later, the Department of Dance. The BA in dance degree was established in 1976, and students also had the opportunity to earn a BS and MA in physical education with a dance specialization.
In 1981, the Dance Gala tradition began, which showcases the department and is considered Iowa’s premiere dance event. The University of Iowa Dance Company, a touring repertory company, was formed in 1984. Originally called Dancers To Go, and then Dancers in Company, the company has performed throughout the state of Iowa, in eight states, and in Hong Kong and Puebla, Mexico.
In 1988, the Department of Dance was established within the Division of Physical Education in the College of Liberal Arts. Degrees offered included the BA in dance, as well as newly established BFA and MFA in dance programs. By 1990, the department was no longer affiliated with the Division of Physical Education. Since 2009, the department has been accredited by the National Association of School of Dance.
The department is also home to the University of Iowa Youth Ballet and Community Dance School, founded in 1972, which serves students of all ages in the greater Iowa City community.
