{"id":2973,"date":"2015-10-15T17:22:04","date_gmt":"2015-10-15T22:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/for-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=2973"},"modified":"2015-10-15T17:23:51","modified_gmt":"2015-10-15T22:23:51","slug":"professional-dancers-come-to-uwm-to-enhance-their-careers","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/professional-dancers-come-to-uwm-to-enhance-their-careers\/","title":{"rendered":"Professional dancers come to UWM to enhance their careers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Davalois<\/a>
Davalois Fearon (center) rehearses with dancers Chlo\u00eb Nagle, a recent BFA dance graduate, and Chelsey Becher, a sophomore in dance who spent a semester abroad in Paris. (UWM Photo\/Derek Rickert)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dancing is a lifelong passion for Davalois Fearon, a New York-based dancer, teacher and choreographer who has performed around the world.<\/p>\n

She is now also a student in UW-Milwaukee\u2019s Master of Fine Arts in performing arts: dance \u2013 a degree designed for professionals such as Fearon, who promises: \u201cI plan on dancing until I die.\u201d<\/p>\n

While dancers\u2019 bodies may suffer from wear and tear, most dancers, like Fearon, said they plan to perform into their older years. At UWM, they can enhance and prolong their careers by learning to teach, create and stage dances, explore movement theories such as yoga, Pilates, the Alexander Technique, and Feldenkrais, and study dance-related academics.<\/p>\n

\u201cA friend recommended the program to me, and the biggest draw was the (limited time spent on campus),\u201d said Carlos Fittante, the artistic director of New York\u2019s BALAM Dance Theatre, a contemporary world dance company inspired by Balinese theater.<\/p>\n

\u201cUWM\u2019s program was the first program of its kind in the country working with professional dancers, and is still one of only three today,\u201d said Simone Ferro, chair of UWM\u2019s Dance Department. \u201cThis allows professionals to reach a different level and broaden their options.\u201d<\/p>\n

UWM\u2019s MFA program brings professional dancers from all over the country to campus for two summer residencies, which are combined with three semesters of online work. Dancers develop a research interest and a final thesis project. Each student can work on a project that fits with their needs and those of their dance community.<\/p>\n

Luc Vanier, associate professor of dance, leads the campus residency program, which includes first- and second-year students. At the end of their residency, current MFA students presented a public showcase of their work, Dancemakers 2015, 7:30 p.m. July 24 and 25 in Mitchell Studio 254. (Mitchell Hall, 3209 N. Downer Ave.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe MFA in Performing Arts\/Dance was created in the early 1980s,\u201d said Marcia Parsons, professor of dance.\u00a0\u201cAt the time of its founding most of the\u00a0participants were teachers the department had certified earlier to teach dance in Wisconsin schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program changed its focus in the mid-1990s, led by Janet Lilly, a faculty member who had danced professionally with Bill T. Jones\/Arnie Zane Dance Company.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany dancers wanted to continue their professional life as adjunct faculty at colleges or working with K-12 students, but with a traditional MFA program, they couldn\u2019t keep performing. We created this program to take advantage of their summer hiatus. As a result, we\u2019re reaching a different level of professionals,\u201d Ferro said.<\/p>\n

The program incorporates classwork that helps students learn to teach, create and stage dances, explore dance-related movement theories such as yoga, Pilates, the Alexander Technique, and Feldenkrais, and learn more about the academics underlying dance.<\/p>\n

Fittante already incorporates some teaching as an adjunct faculty member at Queens-City University of New York. \u201cI\u2019m still performing, but I want to find a way to do more teaching. I need to learn the methodology \u2013 understand the latest about the science of teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Broadening her skills, learning to write grants, making business plans and stabilizing her income are essential for her future as a dancer and choreographer, Fearon said.<\/p>\n

Fearon grew up in Jamaica and the Bronx. Reggae, gymnastics and creating dance pieces were a part of her childhood, and an Alvin Ailey outreach program in junior high set her on a career path.<\/p>\n

The diversity of UWM\u2019s 60-credit program, which focuses on contemporary dance and incorporates dance from many cultures, also appeals to many of the students.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy professional dance training was rooted in modern and ballet. It was not inclusiveness or diverse. I lost touch with the childhood artist I used to be,\u201d Fearon said.<\/p>\n

Parsons added of the dancers: \u201cWhether they are working in Pennsylvania, New York or California, they are developing themselves further within their own dance community and meeting local needs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dancing is a lifelong passion for Davalois Fearon, a New York-based dancer, teacher and choreographer who has performed around the world. She is now also a student in UW-Milwaukee\u2019s Master of Fine Arts in performing arts: dance \u2013 a degree designed for professionals such as Fearon, who promises: \u201cI plan on dancing until I die.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":2978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","institution":[107],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-2973","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-milwaukee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/2973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=2973"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=2973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}