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Mastering the American Dance Festival: mid-career artists establish credentials and build community in a new MFA program.

Article Excerpt
In late 2005, dancer/choreographer Doug Elkins was on his way through the airport in Oakland, California when he ran into Donna Faye Burchfield, artistic director of the Hollins University/American Dance Festival MFA program. "I've been looking for you!" they both said, and sat down right there in the airport Starbucks to talk about Elkins' interest in the graduate program. Long a professional dance artist on the New York scene, Elkins had been considering an MFA as a tool to increase his opportunities for university employment. In recent years the traveling to teach and perform that provided his income had left him feeling isolated from his artistic peers.

Burchfield, who is also chair of the Hollins University dance department and dean of the American Dance Festival, understands well the vicissitudes of a career in dance. She knows from experience that an academic post can provide both stability and creative stimulation. In general, most college/university dance departments require a master's degree for a tenure-track faculty position. Without an advanced...

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