MANKATO — The dance department at Minnesota State University looked a bit different when Julie Kerr-Berry first came on board 20 years ago.

It was a minor back then, housed in the Department of Physical Education, which later would become the Department of Human Performance. And in 1988, Kerr-Berry was taking over for the program’s founder, Florence Cobb, who pioneered the effort to get the program going in the 1970s.

The program would see more change during the next two decades, as most do. About 10 years ago, the dance program merged with MSU Theatre to become the Department of Theatre & Dance. The merger made the most sense, Kerr-Berry said, because dance is part of the arts, and the new home would afford them the opportunity to work collaboratively with theater faculty and have access to theaters and studio space designed for dance, among other things.

The biggest changes to the department since the merger have occurred much more recently. In the past several years, actually.

The dance program went from only a minor option to adding a major in 2005, which opened more doors to students. It also added prestige to the program because its the only dance major in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and is one of four colleges and universities in the state, overall, to offer the major.

“We have a unique thumb print,” said Kerr-Berry, director of the program.

With the addition of the dance major came one new full-time faculty, more classroom and studio space in the Performing Arts Center, Highland Center and Pennington Hall, and more students interested in the program.

“We’re seeing it reflected in recruitment,” Kerr-Berry said. “We had a surge this fall of incoming freshmen.”

Some of the students in the program were minors in dance and switched to a major when it became available. Stephanie Narlock picked up the major the first year it became available.

She had a bit of apprehension at first because the program was brand new, but the one-on-one teaching and the strong faculty locked in her decision.

“It’s good because they get a chance to know you, and you get a chance to know them,” Narlock said. “You can get steady feedback every year.”

Overall, there are about 38 majors and 20 minors in the program. The major requires 44 credits and requires a minor. Many students have double majors, including the popular combinations of theater and dance and elementary education and dance. Many students elect the K-12 dance education track, as the college licenses students to teach dance in K-12 public schools.

Classes in the dance program are taught by Kerr-Berry, new faculty member Dan Stark, adjunct professor Sue Gunness, who specializes in ballet, and Paul Finocchiaro, who also teaches theater.

The four of them carry the program, meaning students get to know them well over the course of four years.

“We teach a lot, and we are in the trenches with these students,” she said.

Dan Stark began teaching in the program this semester, which has been a different experience from where he came. Stark was a visiting assistant professor for three years at the University of Iowa, which had 180 majors.

But the exciting thing about MSU’s program is its rapid growth, he said.

“And the students are very energized about dance,” he said. “That’s a great kind of environment.”

Four teachers might seem limiting to students, considering it’s important for them to experience various styles and backgrounds of dance. But the guest artists brought in helps bridge the gap.

The intimacy of the program also helps to provide individualized attention to students. Stark’s working with four students on a piece he’s choreographed that will be presented in the fall show at MSU. They also will present it in a regional showcase in Kansas in November.

Four teachers to 60 or so students taking several classes each is quite a load. But they check in with students in a “town hall meeting” type setting to make sure students are on track and satisfied with their education.

Narlock said the professors are all varied in how and what they teach, and they do a great job of taking students to Minneapolis to see other dancers perform, as well as bringing in guest artists to add diversity.

The focus of the program is on contemporary dance, which is reflected in the spring and fall dance concerts. But through the numerous guest artists brought in to work with students and choreograph works, the students learn an array of disciplines, from jazz to ballet to tap. The money allotted to the department for Andreas Guest Artists has allowed the program to bring in world-renowned dancers to work with students.

Gabe Masson — a contemporary dancer who has performed around the world and is a guest artist at the University of Colorado, Boulder — is one of the next visiting artists for spring semester.

When students leave the program, they are prepared and experienced in the audition process, in performance and choreography. They have a wide-ranging dance background and can go on to a career in performance or teaching. If not licensed to teach in K-12, students still can teach at private studios, recreation and arts programs, with dance companies and give private lessons.

“The Theatre & Dance department holds a (strong) reputation, but I think the last three years, the dance department, alone, has gained a lot of strength within the dance community in Minnesota.”

Bryan Gerber, the first dance major graduate, is in the Twin Cities dancing and doing choreography, and he has a small company of his own.

Kerr-Berry expects many more success stories to follow as the department continues to grow.



The fall dance concert, “Bridge Projects: Moving Texts,” is 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4-5 and 1 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Ted Paul Theatre, MSU.