The conversation continues:
DTW Lobby Talk - The Relevance of the University

Maura’s notes:

I thought, based on how activated and participatory the room felt, that the talk went well. Many topics were covered and viewpoints expressed. Organizer Chase Granoff started by expressing his interest in seeing the development of the low-residency MFAs at Hollins and Milwaukee, increased commissions for younger choreographers, and a few unique professorships that have allowed artists to remain active choreographers crisscrossing the country between teaching and performing.  He pointed out that Lobby Talks is a fluid platform that developed to help the discourse within the NY dance community and hopes it will continue to develop opportunities for critical thought.

I asked everyone to introduce themselves and explain why they thought they were in the room.  As a newbie to the full-time academia landscape as an assistant professor at CUNY, I’m compelled by the landscape I’m now a part of and interested in finding opportunities to increase dialogue between artists and academia.  I mentioned the Critical Correspondence University Project that went live that morning and encouraged people to read the interviews there and contribute to the discussions.

Jennifer Monson explained that she had been recruited by the Univeristy of Illinois in 2008 through the Environmental Council. The idea was to do a cluster hire, bringing in someone from Geology, History, Philopsophy/Religion, Natural Resources, and the Arts.  Each college nominated candidates for these positions.  She pointed out how big a deal it is to receive a salary and health insurance.

Dean Moss is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Harvard in the Visual Arts and Environmental Studies departments.  He’s teaching performance and imagery - video and animation for undergraduates. “Basically I’m an adjunct. I’m done this little, short-teaching in different places around the world and I’m interested in mobility and stability. So, I’m getting both by doing this.”

Donna Faye Birchfield had driven up from Roanoke, VA where she’s at Hollins University. “I was thinking about what I would say about myself. I’ve been in academia for 17 years and at ADF for almost 30. In fact, it was Mary Cochran who told me to go to ADF. Being a first generation college student and meeting Mary’s mother was life-changing. I thought if dance could make a difference in my life, maybe it could make a difference in the world. That’s what I try to do with my students.” Cherylyn Lavagnino had a career as a ballet dancer and returned to Tisch for her MFA. “Soon after I became a faculty member along with a new Dean Mary Schmidt Campell who didn’t want people who taught because they couldn’t do; she wanted working artists. I think the system has served me fantastically.” Mary Cochran explained that she’d danced with Paul Taylor and Alwin Nikolais before falling into the field 12 years ago at Barnard.

I asked people in the audience to identify themselves and explain their relationship to the subject matter.  Marissa Beatty, founder of WAX, expressed gratitude at being able to come to this talk during the few days she was in town from Brussels where she’s transplanted.  She is personally curious with how to help students work on the practical side and adapt to the environment they are entering.  Ben, an undergrad at The New School, spoke about his concerns around entering he real world and that he was there also as part of a class with Danielle Goldman who teaches Performance Studies based courses and was sitting behind him.

Margaret Morrison, a lecturer in tap at Barnard and incoming MFA at Hollins expressed her interest in moving tap dance into academia as a way to help the form grow. She’s happy about the Hollins MFA that will expect her to continue dancing whereas a PhD program would have cut down her practice dramatically.  Vernon Scott had attended several colleges starting in architecture, switching to dance at NYU and then onto Julliard and then danced for 20 years with major companies like  Elisa Monte, Mark Morris, and White Oak.  ”I had a career where I supported myself as a dancer. After I stopped. I went into the corporate world for 9 years and now I’m an intern at DTW because it wasn’t part of my world, being on the road a lot and in larger companies and I want to know what I missed.”  Tessa Chandler comes from a classical ballet background, is a noted Feldenkrais practitioner, is adjunct faculty at Barnard and in the Hollins MFA program. “It’s opening my eyes to the rest of dance and I’m loving it. I’m curious now to hear from all of these artists. How you interact with the primarily verbal focus of academia, justifying what you do in a verbal world. I don’t want to put negative connotation in using words, I just find it an interesting tension for dance.”

Discussion went on from there. The Critical Correspondence team is working to get a synthesis of the talk up for The University Project. I suggest checking that out.  I will also try to get a summary of the juicy discussion that followed for this blog too. Thanks again to the panelists, attendees, Chase, Carla and everyone at DTW for moving the conversation onward and outward.

Alejandra Martorell’s notes