UW–Madison’s Dance Department is the subject of a new feature in the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Badger Insider magazine, which traces the department’s 99-year history and ongoing national influence.
The article, titled “Dance Lines,” explores how the department — founded in 1926 by Margaret H’Doubler — became the first academic dance program at a U.S. university. It explains how H’Doubler, who had a background in physical education and biology, emphasized both the artistic and anatomical foundations of movement. Her legacy helped establish close ties between the Dance Department and fields like kinesiology, a connection that continues today.
Through profiles of alumni, faculty and supporters, the story highlights how UW–Madison’s dance program has shaped the field across generations. It includes perspectives from current faculty members including Li Chiao-Ping, the Sally Banes Professor of Dance and a Vilas Research Professor, who is planning for the department’s upcoming centennial celebration: “We can probably trace everyone (involved in dance and dance education today) back to someone who was influenced by the ideas that were innovated here,” Chiao-Ping says.
Also featured are figures such as Mary Hinkson, who went on to become a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company; Buff Brennan, who helped establish national dance education standards; and Sally Banes, a prominent dance scholar who chaired the department in the 1990s.
The article also highlights the contributions of Jody Gottfried Arnhold, a UW alum who has supported the department’s work in dance education. Her philanthropy led to the creation of the Arnhold Director in Dance Education position, currently held by instructor Chell Parkins.
To learn more, read the full story.