Dear Friends and Colleagues:
In January 2025 I became interim chair of the Department of Dance, and I can’t tell you what a privilege and a joy it has been getting to know the world-class faculty, the super-talented students and the dedicated and resourceful staff of this remarkable unit. I will remain in this position until July 2026 and look forward to learning more about the exciting and ever-evolving world of academic dance.
First and foremost, I would like to extend my most heartfelt congratulations to the students who completed their degrees. The department awarded 23 BFA, 4 MFA and 2 PhD degrees in spring 2025.
As I hope many of you might have experienced firsthand, the Spring Concert, “Together We Move,” was a rousing success, featuring original works by lecturer Donald Isom, Assistant Professor Momar Ndiaye and Associate Professor Daniel Roberts. We were also privileged to include work by renowned choreographers Ronald K. Brown (rehearsed by Associate Professor Nyama McCarthy-Brown) and Doug Varone (rehearsed by Assistant Professor of Practice Eddie Taketa). The Varone collaboration was the result of an an artist-in-residency program funded by Vice Provost for the Arts Lisa Florman. This collaboration will extend into the summer of 2025 through our Holistic Approaches to Transformative Choreography (HATCH) program, culminating in a performance featuring both student and Varone Company dancers at the Wexner Center for the Arts in the fall.
Among faculty highlights, we welcomed into the department Assistant Professor Kym McDaniel, and Assistant Professor Tany Calamoneri was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. The department also conducted a faculty search for a specialist in African Diaspora Percussive Dance, but, as of this writing, that search had not yet been concluded.
Moving forward, we are excited to welcome new cohorts of 19 BFA, 5 MFA, and 2 PhD students into the department this fall. We are also gearing up for the reaccreditation process by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), an effort that will be spearheaded by the most senior member of our faculty, Professor Valarie Williams, who will also be assuming the all-important role of Chair of the Faculty Council for the upcoming academic year.
In closing, let me say again what a privilege it has been serving in the position of interim chair and to say how much I look forward to the adventures that lie ahead!
Andrew C. Shelton
Professor, History of Art
Interim Chair
