OCR Text |
Show School To Pro U. Dance Dept. Sets New Trend " The Department of Ballet and 5 lodern Dance at the University of 'tah may be setting a new trend ' 3r its counterparts at other U.S. J olleges and universities. It is probably the only dance de- ; artment in the country that can hannel its graduates into an independent inde-pendent ballet or modern dance company (located on campus); both )f which are funded by over $500,-XX) $500,-XX) in Rockefeller and Ford Foun-lation Foun-lation grants. The schools of ballet and modern dance were recently combined into a single academic department in an effort to provide a stimulating program pro-gram of fresh dance concepts for both undergraduates and graduates. The department now attracts the largest concentration of out-of-state students to the Utah campus; ballet alone draws 91 percent of its students stu-dents from other states. Based on the reputation of founder Willam Christensen, former ballet master with the San Francisco Ballet, the ballet program is reputed to be the most extensive of its kind at any United States university. Professor Christensen also directs the Utah Civic Ballet Company, established three years ago by a . Ford Foundation Grant. Both graduate grad-uate and undergraduate students perform in the local company. Former Lead Dancer The chairman of Utah's Department Depart-ment of Ballet and Modern Dance, Gordon Paxman, is a former lead dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. Bal-let. In addition to his University position, Paxman is also associate director of the Utah Civic Ballet. Equally acclaimed by national recognition is the University's modem mod-em dance program, one of the oldest old-est in the country. Modern dance has already been awarded three Rockefeller grants, recognizing in particular the talents of Virginia Tanner, whose Children's Dance Theatre has won national acclaim. The in-residence Repertory Dance Theatre, a performing dance company com-pany for graduate students, was established last year with a Rockefeller Rocke-feller grant. |