1990-present

1990

Main Auditorium is renovated, remodeled and rededicated as the Margo Jones Performance Hall. Department of Performing Arts gala celebrates the opening. Two-course graduate pedagogy courses reduced to one: Pedagogical Foundations for Dance. 

1991

TWU hosts American College Dance Festival’s South-Central Region. Hubbard Street Dance Theatre appears in conjunction with festival.

MA is revised into two pathways: Dance Educator (professional paper/project with 39 credits) and Dance Scholar (thesis with 36 credits). New graduate courses: Curriculum Inquiry in Dance and Related Arts; Dance in American Education. Children’s dance course is re-titled Form and Meaning in Children’s Dance. 

1992

Fall high school dance workshop is inaugurated with the Fall Festival Dance concert, Dance Symposium. 

1993

Shapiro and Smith perform in residence; Revathi Satyu teaches a residency in Bharata Natyam. 

1994

Faculty concert at Margo Jones Performance Hall. African American Dance Ensemble of Raleigh, NC in performance residence. Men are admitted to all undergraduate and graduate degree programs at TWU. 

1995

Mary Williford-Shade, MFA, CMA, joins the faculty. Gayle Ziaks retires. Fall Dance Symposium renamed High School Dance Blast Saturday! 

Oakland Ballet performs Loring’s Billy the Kid and Tudor’s Lilac Garden for the first time in the metroplex. Dance Alloy of Pittsburg appears in a collaborative residency with UNT.

1996

TWU programs in Dance named a Top 10 School in the magazine Dance Teacher Now. Art Bridgeman and Myrna Packer in teaching residency; Chrysalis Dance Theatre teaches a guest residency.

1997

DanceWorks, a touring ensemble, is organized by Williford-Shade, and the bi-annual concerts of student works are renamed to DanceMakers.

David Dorfman Dance appears in February, Lisa Race in teaching residency, and Claire Porter is the performing resident artist in September

1998

Adrienne Fisk retires. J. Hammons, MFA, joins the faculty. Dance Alumnae gather at Homecoming; informal second alumnae concert celebrates Adrienne Fisk’s retirement. Sean Curran in teaching residency; Catherine Turocy, guest teacher. 

1999

Lisa Mestre retires. New undergraduate course: Bartenieff Fundamentals of Movement; Movement Analysis and Description; Contemporary Repertory and Current Issues in Choreography/Performance. Mary Williford-Shade receives the Mary Mason Lyon Junior Faculty Award.

Michael Foley performs and teaches in residence.

2000

TWU selected to the American College Dance Festival in Washington, DC, (Stephanie Beauchamp, MFA choreographer, “Fistful of Spaghetti”). Keith Fleming, BM, joins the staff as percussion accompanist-composer in January; organizes a student musician training program to emphasize non-keyboard accompaniment. Janice LaPointe-Crump elects modified retirement. Requirements for PhD are revised: minimum of 90 credits with 12 credits for dissertation. New course: MFA Project: Video Choreography. Programs in Dance prepares for National Association of Schools of Dance accreditation review. 

Dance Blast Saturday! renamed Dance Blast College Day. Dance Alloy in residence in February. Kraig Patterson’s BOPI’s Black Sheep appears in October. 

2001

Kraig Patterson is the summer artist-in-residence. TWU Dance Department receives accreditation status from National Association of Schools of Dance. 

2002

Sarah Gamblin, MFA, joins faculty.

2003

Gamblin established Dance Lab improvisation group, hosting weekly improvisation jams for students. 

2005

Linda Caldwell, PhD, joins faculty. International Folk Dance Company changed to International Dance Company.

2006

The PhD in Dance program transitioned to a low-residency format. TWU Dance assembles first application for National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD) accreditation. 

2007

Jordan Fuchs, MFA, joins faculty. 

2009

Fuchs conceives of Texas Dance Improvisation Festival (TDIF) and with Gamblin hosts first festival. 

2010

TWU selected for the American College Dance Festival in Washington, DC, (Jose Zamora, MFA candidate, “Curios y Serpentinas”).

2011

Dayna Morgan-Ballinger, MFA, joins the department as technical director. Stafford Berry is summer artist-in-residence.

2012

Williford-Shade promoted to Chair of the Dance Department. Rosemary Candelario, PhD, joins faculty. TWU selected for the American College Dance Festival in Washington, DC, (Elyse Cox, MFA candidate, “Same As It Ever Was”). Fuchs is recipient of Mary Mason Lyon Junior Faculty Award.

Guest artist KT Niehoff visits in February. Amii LeGendre is summer 2012 artist-in-residence. TWU undergoes second National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD) accreditation process. 

2013

TWU selected for the American College Dance Festival regional conference gala (Fuchs, “Configure Script”). TWU hosts Amie Dowling for guest residency in February. Yung Huai and Yang Ya Chun are guest artists in residency in September. 

2014

Matthew Henley, PhD, joins faculty. TWU hosts guest artist Rachel Bernsen in February. TWU selected to the American College Dance Festival regional conference gala (Darrell Cleveland, MFA candidate, “Quick”). Fuchs initiates “Breaking Windows Film Series” to develop more awareness of screen dance possibilities in the curriculum.

Nia Love is summer guest artist-in-residence. Guest artist Holly Williams visits in October. 

2015

Ilana Morgan, PhD, joins faculty. TWU hosts Texas Dance Improvisation Festival. Student organization Community Movers established to “support the student body within TWU Dance both academically and creatively.” TWU hosts guest artist Mary John Frank in the spring. TWU’s International Dance Company performs at TWU’s Global Awareness Month and TWU Family Weekend. 

2016

TWU is selected for the American College Dance Festival regional conference gala (Jenna Chang and Lauren Miller, MFA candidates). Stephanie Liapis is summer guest artist-in-residence. TWU Department of Dance and the Artists Enclave of Denton County host “Day of the Dance Concert Celebration,” a short dance concert honoring Day of the Dead traditions. 

TWU hosts guest artist Ting-Ting Chang in February. 

2017

TWU Dance presents Dance Alumni Concert. TWU welcomes guest artist D. Chase Angier in February. Community Movers and TWU Career Connections organize a Dance Department Career Event. 

2018

TWU Dance presents Dance Alumni Concert. TWU hosts Texas Dance Improvisation Festival. TWU is selected for the American College Dance Association regional conference gala (Reyna Mondragon, MFA candidate, “Helena”). TWU Dance participates in Everywoman Celebration honoring Women’s History Month. DanceMakers is dedicated to Dr. Linda Caldwell in her recent passing. 

2019

TWU is selected for the American College Dance Association regional conference gala (Leah Estick, undergraduate student, “Oink!”). Elisa De La Rosa is guest artist during MA summer residency. Brittany Padilla joins dance division as dance accompanist. TWU Dance receptionist Penny Lewis retires after 15 years. 

2020

Elisa De La Rosa, MFA, joins faculty. Classes transition to online format in spring due to the Covid-19 pandemic. TWU celebrates first cohort to graduate with an MA in Dance with a concentration in Education. TWU graduate DanceMaking course partnered with UNT Topics in Composition course resulting in a collaborative process between student choreographers and student composers. 

2021

Fuchs appointed Head of Division of Dance, as School of Arts reorganization shifts Visual Arts, Music and Dance from Departments with Chairs to Divisions with Heads in the School of Arts and Design (SOAD) incorporating Fashion and Merchandising and a Director of SOAD. Adesola Akinleye, PhD, joins faculty. Classes transition back to full face-to-face format fall 2021. Gamblin helps coordinate “Quakertown Stories Project.” Roma Flowers is summer guest artist in residency. 

2022

Charmian Wells, PhD, joins faculty. De La Rosa receives Campus Leader With a Heart award. TWU Dance hosts guest artist Danza Chikawa. Community Movers help organize Dance Career Day featuring guest artist Michelle Gibson. TWU is selected to the American College Dance Association regional conference gala (Kourtney Surgent, MFA candidate, “Black Woman Steps Up To Mic”). 

2023

TWU hosts Texas Dance Improvisation Festival. International Dance Company performed at American Airline Headquarters to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

TWU Dance hosts guest artist Danza Chikawa. Abdel Saalam visits for guest artist residency in spring. 

2024

Bebe Miller visits TWU for guest residency in spring. De La Rosa awarded Outstanding Dance Education University Field Supervisor Award. TWU selected for the American College Dance Association regional conference gala (Abdel Saalam, guest artist, “B’ Flowing’ B’ Smoove”). TWU undergoes NASD Reaccreditation Site Visit.

Kayla Hamilton summer guest artist residency.