The Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation and guests celebrated over 50 years of dance at the University of Alberta and the woman behind its success at the opening of the Dorothy Harris Dance Studio Thursday evening.
A true innovator in our Faculty, Dorothy Harris exposed students and the public to dance by arranging a wide variety of experiences. Her passion and dedication to dance inspired her students, many of whom have continued on to teach, choreograph, perform and create dance companies all the while carrying on Dorothy's legacy, passion and inspiration of the art form for years to come.
Driven by a life-long mission to promote dance for all people, regardless of their training and background, Dorothy J. Harris ('46 BA) was the driving force behind Modern Creative Dance at UAlberta. It became the focal point of her performing and teaching career for years to come. From this she developed the Orchesis Model, a dance form that remains a creative force today.
Not only is Dorothy a faculty alumnus, but she also had a long and accomplished teaching career within the faculty. The impact Dorothy has had on dance at UAlberta and across the province can still be felt today. She helped to develop Dance Alberta (now the Alberta Dance Alliance), Dance in Canada, and Dance and the Child International. Since retiring as a professor in 1990, Dorothy has continued to develop movement resources for children and adults in schools and universities.
The honorific naming of the Dorothy Harris Dance Studio at the University of Alberta is just one item in a long list of accolades for the dance pioneer. She was honoured with the Canadian CAHPER Award (1979), the Edmonton CAHPER Award (1986), the Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (1988), the Alberta Centennial Award (2005), University of Alberta Alumni Honours Award (2014), and the City of Edmonton's Salute to Excellence Arts and Culture Citation Award (2104).
Dorothy's service as a teacher, mentor and innovator makes her a unique member of our faculty and has earned her the honour of being named a Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation Professor Emeritus.
The Dorothy Harris Dance Studio opened on April 14, 2016 and is the new home of dance for the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation and the University of Alberta.
