We take pride in the following actions of our community:
Culture
| 2024-2025 | Guest Artists are an important educational and departmental aspect of our program. Dance at Illinois is currently reviewing our guest artist policies and onboarding practices and clarifying guidelines around communication and student-centered learning. The lessons learned will inform future collaborations and strengthen the department’s approach to hosting guest artists going forward. Details include providing guest artists with a deeper explanation of our curriculum—not only its goal of dismantling biases, but also its structure and realities, as well as creating a flowchart for how best to communicate guest artist concerns should they arise. |
| 2023-2024 | Dance at Illinois established a Disability and Access Committee, consisting of faculty members and graduate students. This was a strong first step and helped dance faculty better understand how to support students with disabilities in the dance classroom. |
| 2022 | New curriculum launches with two new underrepresented faculty hires |
| 2021 | The Black Advocacy Team created a resource guide and programming for health, wellness and advocacy. |
| 2020–2021 | The Black Advocacy Team (BAT) was founded by Faith Brown (BFA ’21) and Bevara Anderson (MFA ’22). The mission of BAT is " to act as the liaison between the DAI black student body, and DAI leadership and faculty, elevating racial sensitivity, and supporting anti-racist practices within the DAI community, with special emphasis on the African-American experience.” |
| 2020 | A new mission statement was established with a commitment to “…to root out historically unbalanced, hierarchically oppressive perspectives…and promote ethical, anti-racist, and progressive practices, operating from a deeply held belief that diversity and inclusion are critical for the advancement of the artform and for humankind.” |
| A reading group was established to provide education for students and faculty on race that included How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi and White Fragility by Robin Di Angelo. | |
| 2018–2019 | Dance at Illinois faculty, staff, and students participated in two Undoing Racism workshops (2 1/2 days of intensive training) with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. |
| 2016 | A Diversity and Inclusion section was created on our website to communicate our goals and actions. |
| 2014 | The department secured three new faculty lines and a post-doc position for faculty with expertise in ballet, hip-hop, and Umfundalai, an African-based contemporary dance. |
| 2010 | Annual workshops were initiated for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students to provide education and discuss issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. |
act as the liaison between the DAI black student body, and DAI leadership and faculty, elevating racial sensitivity, and supporting anti-racist practices within the DAI community, with special emphasis on the African-American experience.
The Black Advocacy Team (BAT) Mission