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The ivy-covered studio: as more choreographers join college dance programs, students are getting a hands-on apprenticeship in the creative process.

Article Excerpt
For a choreographer, a university job may feel like a haven or a prison. It can offer an invigorating environment, with rehearsal space and a steady paycheck. But it also demands energy in classes and meetings, and may be in a town far from one's dancers and collaborators. These days, however, many university administrations are realizing the value of choreographers as teachers and mentors--a big change from the days when it was looked down upon for faculty to take time off to perform. College administrators are now bending over backwards to offer faculty positions that allow dance artists of national stature to sustain their creative work, much as they would for published writers or research scientists.

Dance Magazine spoke to four choreographers who have taken on faculty positions at universities about their experiences.

Bebe Miller, known for her quirky and poignant movement vocabulary, has been at Ohio State University since 2000. Every year she requests--and is granted--a personal leave to work with her dance company during the fall quarter. Though the company office remains in New York, Miller and her dancers "converge in different places" to rehearse. Her leave is unpaid, allowing the dance department to invite guest artists to substitute for her.

How did this close-to-ideal situation come about? In the mid-'90s Miller had faced substantial funding losses that left her company straggling. Economics combined with "house lust" (a strong desire, she says, for the kind of home and garden nearly...

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