Critical Correspondence

University Project: Simone Ferro, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

in conversation with Maura Donohue

Interview: 04.11.09

Maura Donahue: Your MFA program has provided many familiar NYC artists with degrees. How do you see your program engaging with the field? And how do you see it in relation to other programs?

Simone Ferro: I remember a gathering of several directors of graduate studies in Dance; there were about 12 of us around the table. We spent three days brainstorming on the differences of each program, what is considered research, and issues around recruitment, retention, etc. We were able to bring guest artists John Jasperse and Chamecki/Lerner to talk about their issues. Independent artists see academia as an elite, impenetrable niche, but we’ve had Barbara Mahler, Gerald Casel, and KJ Holmes. We’ve had people from the New York scene in our program every year. Now funds are limited but this quarrel between independent artists and academia was very strong then. Some felt they wanted the attachment but didn’t find it welcoming. At that time we (and Hollins) were the only two with a flexible schedule/low residency MFA program. It requires a lot of discipline; it’s not for everybody. Even those that are really heavily established in their fields struggle to carry 12 credits on top of their workload.

Maura: It’s wonderful that you were able to share information and identify differences without a competitive climate.

Simone: We do compete for some of the same resources, but these shared investigations were extremely positive. We’re looking forward to having this more often. Even if we’re targeting different populations, the issues are similar – thesis topics, deadlines, marketing our programs. For our MFA candidates, the struggle is often managing the time and formality of graduate study. It identified the porous nature of our thesis which needs to be related to dance but doesn’t need to be a performance. Some said this looks like an MA not an MFA. But we think the broader you open the spectrum of encompassing dance, the better you will prepare them for a longer journey in the field. Not everyone wants to perform. I went back for my MFA at 38 and was in dance classes with 20 year olds. I’d been managing a company in Geneva and being a student was so lovely – the time and focus on myself.

Maura: That awareness of the student experience as a time of luxurious focus on yourself seems, to me anyway, to be something that only experienced artists who have been struggling in the field can appreciate fully.

Simone: The flexibility in our curriculum is our strength; the students can design their study. There are some classes they have to take but the autonomy makes it attractive to those coming in with a lot of experience. It wasn’t a popular idea at the gathering but we have brilliant students. These are experienced, high profile dancers from the professional world. It’s different from a traditional MFA—if you don’t want Modern and Ballet, there are other forms that you can study. If you are in your hometown doing a Feldenkrais workshop or getting certified in Skinner Releasing Technique, that will count towards course work. But, even our ballet class is approached through Alexander Technique – people teaching Modern from Barteneiff, Klein/Mahler.

Students come in for six weeks in the summer. There is an optional one-week orientation with workshops – dance for the camera, modern pedagogy, dance in the African Diaspora, etc. During the six weeks, they go essentially eight to four classes plus rehearsals, and then the last weekend they have the graduate concert. We ask before if they would like to choreograph for this concert and if they would like to make something new or to reconstruct something. They each have eight hours a week. We have 22/23 students on campus each summer. The concert is fully supported, and students are preparing before they come (new students and second years). We have an average of 12/13 choreographers each year. They have a good amount of time in the performance space. Some third years come back to perform their thesis in those concerts. For all of them the limit is 12 minutes and we have two shows that repeat for two days. For the past five years we have supported the presentation of some of our students – flight, lodging and fees. Clare Byrne, Aviva Geismar, Rebecca Stenn, Gerald Casel have been able to bring their companies. Danny Gwirtzman was invited to choreograph for our students because we couldn’t afford to bring both Gerald and Danny so we found another way to bring him back. Barbara Mahler will teach a one-week seminar as an alumn. We want to continue that affiliation – it keeps continuity.

Maura: It’s wonderful that they get a degree and a professional opportunity, a tour.

Simone: For every program there is a candidate. We’ve been doing the low-residency program for a long time. Different programs have different priorities and different financial packages. We never could have granted 12 credits for their professional background, like Hollins, even though my Dean knows the caliber of the artists I bring to our campus as students. Some of the artists coming get a scholarship that is basically a full ride. We have been very successful in our program designed for minority students or students with economic difficulty, which makes sense for all the brilliant dancers all over the country – they’re all living with economic difficulty. I’m always juggling funding and money and finding funding and support.

One last thing I wanted to say: a very important aspect is the connection the University has with the community. We are a million people in Milwaukee. The opportunities that are generated from these summers provide a very strong connection with the larger local community. What makes all of this a pleasure is the sense that we are having an impact on our local community and the field of dance. When we hear that a student got a tenure-track position, it feels really nice that in this climate you see our work helping place them and giving them resources to work. Our studios have a camera and computer connected to the internet – you can record yourself, save it to the flash drive or send it to yourself and you’re good. Where else can you do that these days?