Bennington College & University of the Arts forge a groundbreaking alliance to preserve the University of the Arts Dance Program
STORY BY BENJAMIN LERNER
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY BENNINGTON COLLEGE
In a swift and decisive response to the unexpected closure of the University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia on June 7, Bennington College has taken bold steps to integrate the renowned dance program from UArts under its own institutional oversight. This collaboration, completed in just six weeks, ensures that the dance students from UArts can continue their education without interruption. A total of 35 former UArts BFA dance students and 28 Low-Residency MFA students will now be part of the Bennington College community.
The rapid mobilization of resources necessary to accomplish this transition was made possible by a generous $1 million donation from Barbara and Sebastian Scripps, $250,000 from the Ford Foundation, and additional support from the Transformational Partnerships Fund. This immediate funding allowed the former UArts students to continue their MFA summer program in Montpellier, France, which was already underway when UArts announced its closure.
Bennington College, known for its rich history in dance, will integrate the new BFA program under the leadership of Donna Faye Burchfield, former Dean of Dance at UArts. The new program will operate separately from Bennington’s existing BA dance program, with the BFA focusing on conservatory training, integrating practices and theory with critical thinking. The existing BA program will maintain its emphasis on individual creativity and the creation of new work.
“Bennington has always been centered around creativity and the arts,” says Laura Walker, President of Bennington College. “Dance has been a vibrant part of our curriculum since we were founded when Martha Graham and Martha Hill taught here. From the first phone call I had with Donna Faye, I knew we had to respond swiftly so that this extraordinary program can continue and the students will have a home.
Our own dance faculty are enthusiastic about welcoming and collaborating with these students and faculty.” Burchfield adds: “Bennington has been a true lifesaver. The acrobatic speed with which Laura Walker, her team, and the Bennington dance faculty responded has been astounding. I am relieved and thrilled to see our students and faculty on the Bennington campus.”
Prior to her tenure at UArts, Burchfield was Dean of the School at the American Dance Festival (ADF), where she developed the Hollins University/ADF MFA program and other degree programs in collaboration with ADF. Many former UArts dance faculty members will join Bennington as guest artists, including Sidra Bell, Ronald K. Brown, and Ismael Houston-Jones.
The making of original work remains the center of the dance program at Bennington, as it has been since the founding of Bennington College in 1932. The college was the setting for the historic and pioneering Bennington Summer School of the Dance, and the visionary spirit represented there has been integral to both Bennington’s history and present philosophy. The Bennington campus was the scene of world premieres of classic modern works by some of the greatest dance artists of the time, including Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and Hanya Holm, among others. These iconic artists not only spent summers there – they returned as teachers, as well. Among the many classic dance pieces created at Bennington are Martha Graham’s Letter to the World, El Penitente, American Document, and Panorama; Doris Humphrey’s With My Red Fires, New Dance, and Passacaglia in C minor. Hanya Holm created Trend, José Limón premiered Danza de la Muerta and Danzas Mexicanas, and Charles Weidman created Quest while at Bennington.
In every decade since, the Bennington College Dance Program has been in a constant state of innovation and forward motion. Throughout, dance faculty, guest artists, and graduates have made major contributions to the field of dance. With an innovative and collaborative spirit, they have been pushing the boundaries in choreography, performance, the art of improvisation, somatic studies, interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary art making, design, writing for dance, and arts administration.
“Bringing in a second dance program to work side by side with the existing program embodies the ongoing pioneering spirit of Bennington,” said Dana Reitz, a choreographer, performer, and visual artist who has taught at Bennington for 30 years. “We are eager to discover ways these programs can complement and enrich each other. I have no doubt that our partnership with the former UArts Dance Program will prove to be a complex, vibrant, and intriguing adventure.”
The University of the Arts, known for its emphasis on professional training, has produced many distinguished alumni who have joined prestigious dance companies and performed on Broadway. The new alliance with Bennington College aims to continue this legacy of excellence and innovation in dance education. To that end, all incoming and returning dance students from UArts were invited to attend Bennington College, ensuring continuity in their education.
When Burchfield learned that the school was closing, she began making calls. Burchfield eventually reached Walker and secured funding to ensure that nearly 30 students in the MFA dance program on their way to a summer session in France would be able to proceed as scheduled. 14 of those students have now graduated.
“What they are doing is the future of dance,” said Laura Walker. “It’s a tough time, and we hope this will be a model for others.” Although key players in the funding of the revived program at Bennington, such as the Ford Foundation’s outgoing president, Darren Walker, believe that there is a systemic crisis in the arts, they are nevertheless optimistic about the future of the program. At Bennington, Burchfield has found an ideal place to help ensure that what was started at UArts under her oversight can continue, and that the program can thrive.
Burchfield and Walker intend for the dance program’s residence in Vermont to be temporary. After a year, they hope to return the program to Philadelphia, to a satellite campus affiliated with Bennington that would support around 60 to 75 students — roughly half the size of the old University of the Arts dance school. Preliminary plans are in place to relocate the BFA and MFA programs to Philadelphia by 2025, but they will remain under the auspices of Bennington College, with graduates receiving Bennington degrees. Burchfield is grateful that the UArts dance program has landed at Bennington College, and she eagerly anticipates seeing the students on the Bennington campus and “dreaming together” with them.
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