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Meet the Faculty

Wendy Shifrin

In the News

Totentanz: Crescendo brings the Dance of Death--to Life!

Read about the 24th Annual Bard College at Simon's Rock Dance Concert

Pullquote
❝ In all of my classes, my goal is to cultivate an environment in which students learn to listen, respect and work with others, absorb, push themselves, invent, articulate and question.❞
Why I came to Simon's Rock
One of the major reasons I have stayed at Simons' Rock is my affinity with its educational philosophy. Simon's Rock's pedagogy, with its emphasis on interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, and egalitarianism, exemplifies the values I hold dear. I am grateful that I am able to dance and choreograph - and share these passions - in a cultural moment when the arts are not always supported. I also like the intellectual stimulation afforded me by the opportunity to teach the Seminars and to design courses that are not exclusively dance oriented. Finally, I very much appreciate the bright, motivated students whom I get to know and who share my love of learning.
A favorite Simon's Rock teaching moment
“Because students and faculty at Simon's Rock frequently interact outside the classroom as well as inside, teaching moments occur in a variety of settings. In my case, they often arise in rehearsals or performances. For the December 2011 dance concert, I performed a duet with a student which ended with us standing one behind the other, both holding a book opened to cover our faces. By accident on the first night of the concert, I positioned the book upside down. The student brilliantly turned it right side up just before the lights faded, which added a level of humor we hadn't consciously designed. In this spontaneous moment, she led me and the audience to an aesthetically pleasurable place, and exemplified the creativity and original thinking education is capable of encouraging in a community in which we all learn from each other.”
My teaching style
“The dance program at Simon's Rock includes creative courses as well as technique in a variety of styles. I believe technical training should not become an end in itself, nor should self-expression occur without an attention to form. In my dance classes, I want students to find their own vocabulary based on an understanding of their bodies and on a growing understanding of dance as an art form. In the Seminars and creative arts courses I teach, I aim to honor the texts while helping students discover their own opinions and voice. In all of my classes, my goal is to cultivate an environment in which students learn to listen, respect and work with others, absorb, push themselves, invent, articulate and question.”
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Wendy Shifrin

Dance, Women's Studies
Division: Arts
Appointment: 1984

112 Daniel Arts Center
413-528-7410
wshifrin@simons-rock.edu

 

Education:

BA University of Michigan
MA New York University

Professional History:

Faculty, Bard College at Simon's Rock, l984-
Faculty, New School for Social Research, NY, NY 1980-84
Faculty, Nancy Meehan School of Dance, NY, NY 1975-1984
Faculty, summer dance program George Washington University
Ass't Faculty: American Dance Festival

Areas of Interest:

Dance • Visual Arts • Theater • Fiction • Creativity in the Arts

Research Interests/Professional Service

  • "Biography and Autobiography in the Arts" workshop, AEPL Conference, Colorado, 2010
  • "Teaching the Body in History, Dance and Art History" with Joan DelPlato and Nancy Yanoshak, International Conference of the Humanities, Hawaii, 2008
  • "Choreographing Totentanz," Europaishcen Totentanz-Vereinigung Conference, Florence, Italy 2007
  • Dance Critics Conference, workshop, 1993

Publications/Book Chapters/Exhibitions/Performances:

Publications:

  • "SR Dance Concert: Reflecting, Defining, Creating Community," Educating Outside the Lines, ed: Nancy Yanoshak 2011
  • "Beautiful Bodies in Dance." Phobe Issue #4 1991

Performances:

  • Nancy Meehan Dance Co, NY, NY Company Member 1974-1986
  • Twyla Tharp "The 100s" Jacob's Pillow, 2001
  • Annie Sailer Dance Co, performance NY, 2009

Choreography:

  • Two or more original group works per year, Bard College at Simon's Rock Dance Concert

Commissioned Choreography:

  • "Totentanz," choreography for multi-media performance 2007
  • "The Stigma," Pittsfield Community TV 1991
  • Solo for Berkshire New Dance Collective
  • Group works, Winter Dance Festival, Great Barrington, MA 1988-89
  • Group work, March Hare Concert, Great Barrington, MA 1989
  • Solo for Berkshire New Dance Collective, 1983
  • Dance Extravaganza, Detroit, MI 1983
  • Long Island Jewish Arts Festival, NY 1983
  • Duet Faculty Concert,Trinity College, CT 1981
  • Original choreography, NYC performances, 1980, 1981, 1982

Awards/Grants

  • Richard C. Drumm Award, May 2011
  • John B. Glover Teaching Award
  • Faculty Development Grants - 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2007,2008
  • First place award Massachusetts Community TV for "The Stigma" Pittsfield TV 1991