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Dance
department needs faculty The department of ballet and modern dance cannot accept any more students to match an increase in interest without adding more instructors, said Ellen Shelton, department chairwoman. Shelton said about 90 dancers from 20 states auditioned for admittance into the ballet and modern dance department in January. This was about a 14 percent increase, she said.
Shelton said the larger number of dancers auditioning is a reason why her department is in need of more faculty to support growing interest. Shelton said the Board of Trustees approved 13 additional faculty members for the university at a recent meeting and he hopes some faculty will be given to her department. “It was great to have such wonderfully strong dancers make (the trip) here,” Shelton said. “It really tells us that our graduates are going out and spreading the word about our program.” The audition also was held to award the department’s two Nordan Fine Arts scholarships, worth $7,000 a year, Shelton said. Keitha Manning, a ballet instructor, said the turnout at the audition was surprising. “I was dumbfounded, especially given such quality dancers auditioning,” Manning said. “We could have easily given out 10 scholarships if we had the money.“This really says how well known our (ballet and modern dance) program is because we have a lot of people who would love to come here.” If the interest continues to grow the department will have to turn more students away, she said. “We’re going to have to be more selective in our acceptance,” Shelton said. Senior ballet and modern dance major Clayton Cross said the department would benefit from more faculty. “A lot of the teachers are stressed out because the classes are too large for them to have,” Cross said. “More teachers and smaller classes could better focus on the individual (dancer).” Colleen
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