Spring 2021 School of Dance EDIB Progress Report

The School of Dance is committed to building a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive environment, where cultural diversity and race is celebrated and valued. For the Spring semester, faculty and staff worked to address equity, diversity and inclusion in a variety of ways which included:

curricular expansion and adjustments that celebrate the work of a wide array of artists of color
expansion of our dress code to include flesh tone dancewear
engaged diverse guest faculty, choreographers, and lecturers
outreach conversations with our Preparatory Dance and year-round program to provide dance education to local underserved communities

Curricular expansions and modifications

Dance History I course expansion and modifications:

Origins of Vernacular Jazz and Harlem Renaissance
History of Dance Theatre of Harlem
Black Ballerina (Including a film by the same name)
Unit of discussion on diversifying in American ballet companies
Romantic Era- ‘restaging/recreating the Pas de Quatre in the modern time.
Unit on Balanchine included section on Arthur Mitchell and Mel Tomlinson.
Unit on Ballets Russes included a section on Raven Wilkerson
Unit on Ballets Russes included sections on 5 Native American Ballerinas
Unit on Contemporary Ballet included sections on Alonzo King
Unit on Petipa included footage of Carlos Acosta and Lauren Anderson

Current Trends course expansion and modifications:

Current Trends explores an array of artists that cut across age, gender, geographic location, race and ethnicity. The work of three collaboration teams in particular (Cherie Hill, Hope Mohr, Karla Quintero, and David Neumann, Marcella Murray and Tei Blow and Miguel Gutierrez) problematize white supremacy within the art form.

Career Preparation I modifications:

Guest speakers for this course were chosen with a concentrated effort to provide representation through varied race, gender, sexual orientation, geographical location, and dance style. Creation of artist bios supported the use of preferred pronouns and when discussing attire for audition classes, skin toned shoes and tights were supported.

Dance Costume Shop

Acquired tights and undergarments in a wide range of skin tones and provided guidance to students for purchasing skin tone garments. Also provided guidance in painting shoes to match students skin tone.