Taking on year two of leadership in the Dance Program I am excited to begin to support and mentor our new majors in Interdisciplinary Performance. We are already hosting six students who are pursuing this new major, and five of the six consider their primary discipline to be dance. This opens up many new opportunities for faculty to envision a future training a diverse group of performing artists as they find their voice in this interdisciplinary program. It also means many new jobs to do, as we find ways to make these students successful in achieving their goals and dreams. That makes this an exciting time in the Dance Program!

However, we enter the fall semester feeling a lot of pressure from the state of Indiana.  New legislation from the state has put our program in Theatre and Dance in a vulnerable position. While we are working hard to make sure that we remain a strong and viable department, we have been dealing with the disappointment and frustration felt by faculty and students in the face of the new state requirements around graduation rates. If you are reading this and are an alum of our programs who considers the work done in Pao Hall as essential and important, please consider how you can express your support for us this year as we face some difficult times.

We hosted two new events this semester. On September 18, we presented an expert panel in the Hansen Theatre who discussed The State of Hip Hop in 2025. With organizing support from Saad Mukhtar of The Breaking Project, we got to hear from dance artist academics from across the U.S. as well as one from Australia. Our own faculty member Vivian Kim was one of these respected artists providing insights into hip hop as an art form, an Olympic sport, and on college campuses. An in-depth article will be posted on our web page in coming weeks with all the details.

Panelists at The State of Hip Hop 2025 Event, September 2025

On September 20 we hosted our first ever High School Dance Day.  With support from staff from Purdue’s recruitment area, we brought in a small group of seniors in high school and their parents to get a taste of our program. Students participated in a modern dance class taught by Joy McEwen and then a creative practice session with Renee Murray.  Vivian Kim organized the event with me, and we spent time with parents explaining all the opportunities available to Purdue students who want to dance. It was a great day, and the first of many more I imagine!

While this is a challenging moment in academia and the arts, it also serves to remind us why we do what we do, and the power of art and performance to change lives. I feel so deeply grateful for the work we have done in the dance program when I read the responses we are sharing here from our spotlighted students and alumni. They speak to the work that we do together, and how it carries into their lives at Purdue, and many years beyond.