At the Intersection of Dance and Maryland – Exhibition

Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library Gallery
May 2013 through December 2013

Explore the absorbing history of dance at University of Maryland. From its modest beginnings in the late 1950s, when it was attached to the Physical Education Department, to the vibrant performing arts program that has produced a Fulbright scholar and a MacArthur Fellow, cultivated distinguished modern dance professors and authors, and hosted significant performances of American college dance, this art form has grown continuously at the university and is now part of the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. This exhibition tells just the part of the story that is relatable through documents and artifacts drawn from Special Collections in Performing Arts at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. Even on their own, the items on display illustrate the dynamic upward narrative of the university’s relationship with dance and performance as well as the University of Maryland’s essential place within the dance scholarship world as a leading research institution.

The exhibit is comprised of four distinct sections:

• The Origins of Dance at UMD, which details the pioneering vision and exotic experiences of Myra Wykes Rigor Selvadurai, a Fulbright Scholar and UMD’s first dance major
• Distinguished Faculty, which includes documents, artifacts, and works of art relating to the dance academia pursuits of scholars Dorothy Madden, Meriam Rosen, and Larry and Anne Warren
• Notable Alumni, which is dedicated the extraordinary career of UMD alumna and MacArthur Fellow Liz Lerman
• Exceptional College Dance, which tells the story of UMD’s hosting of the illustrious American College Dance Festival Association and unique performances associated with it