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WOMAN’S UNIVERSITY TO AWARD ANN WILLIAMS HONORARY DOCTOR
OF PHILOSOPHY IN DANCE
Founder
& Artistic Director of the world-renowned Dallas Black
Dance Theatre,
Williams is a TWU Distinguished Alumna and former university
regent whose achievements are extraordinary
4/30/08
 Dallas, Texas
– April 30, 2008 – Texas Woman’s University
(TWU) will honor Ann Williams, the founder and artistic director
of the world-renowned Dallas Black Dance Theatre, with an
Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Dance at spring commencement
on May 10 (Saturday). The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m.
in Pioneer Hall, Bell Avenue at University Drive, on the TWU
Denton campus.
Williams is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University
and earned a Master of Arts Degree in Dance and Related Arts
from Texas Woman’s University. She is a TWU Distinguished
Alumna, a former member of the university’s Board of
Regents and the TWU Foundation, and a past president of the
TWU Former Students Association. In September 2002, she was
inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame, and in April
2005 she was honored at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
as a part of the Masters of African-American Choreography
series. She also has been honored by the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People.
“It is rare
for TWU to award an honorary degree,” said Dr. Ann Stuart,
TWU Chancellor and President. “Ann Williams has made
profound contributions in the arts and is most deserving of
this prestigious recognition – one of the highest commendations
the university can confer on an individual. Her work embodies
the mission of TWU, providing opportunities for students;
advancing education in the arts and humanities; and serving
this community and beyond. With an international reputation,
Ann Williams continues to bring distinction and prominence
to the university.”
Recipients of an
honorary degree from TWU must demonstrate genuine achievement
in an activity consonant with the university’s mission.
Nominations are made by faculty, staff or members of the TWU
Board of Regents, and an advisory committee reviews the nominations
and makes a recommendation to the chancellor of the university.
Founded in 1976
by Williams, the Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) creates
and produces contemporary modern dance at its highest level
of artistic excellence through performances and educational
programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities.
For 32 years, Ms. Williams has led the Dallas Black Dance
Theatre from what began as a community-based and semi-professional
organization to a full professional dance company with an
international reputation. It is the oldest, continuously operating
professional dance company in Dallas.
Ann Williams has
received numerous awards and honors. She serves on the Board
of Directors of Texas Ballet Theater and The International
Association of Blacks in Dance. She is a dance consultant
and has served as a dance panelist for numerous organizations
such as the City of Dallas/Office of Cultural Affairs, Texas
Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the
Arts.
Paralleling her
artistic mission is Williams’ educational mission. Her
goal to bring dance to diverse audiences throughout the City
of Dallas can be seen in the highly successful outreach programs
of DBDT. Each year more than 20,000 Dallas ISD children have
had the opportunity to learn about dance, through workshops,
classes, lecture-demonstrations, and performances.
“I am deeply
honored to receive this Honorary Degree from Texas Woman’s
University,” said Ann Williams. “When asked why
I chose to continue my education at TWU in 1968, my response
has always been, ‘because Texas Woman’s University
has the best Dance Department in the United States.’
This statement still holds true today. TWU is tops if you
want a career in Dance Education. The training I received
at TWU was the beginning of my career ‘providing opportunities
for students to receive dance training and to experience dance
as a true art form.’”
Ms. Williams was
nominated by Dr. Penelope Hanstein and Dean Ann Staton. Members
of the Advisory Committee were: Dr. Jennifer Martin, Ms. Carolyn
Ishee, Dr. Kyle Biggerstaff, Dr. Bettye Myers, Dr. Patti Hamilton,
Dr. Mike Wiebe, Ms. Paloma Rizo, Dr. Janice LaPointe-Crump
and Dr. Marie-Anne Demuynck.
Previous honorary
degree recipients include: Nelda C. Stark, honorary doctor
of laws degree (1957); Mary Gibbs Jones, honorary doctor of
laws degree (1958); Edith Alderman Deen, honorary doctor of
letters degree (1959); Lady Bird Johnson, honorary doctor
of laws degree (1964); Marcella Perry, honorary doctor of
laws degree (1976); Lucile Petry Leone, honorary doctor of
laws degree (1979); Marie M. Clay, honorary doctor of humane
letters degree (2003); Richard E. Wainerdi, honorary doctor
of laws (2004); and Kaye Stripling, honorary doctor of humane
letters degree (2005).
“Ms. Williams’
community outreach and dance advocacy agenda echoes the mission
of the TWU’s Department of Dance,” said Dr. Penelope
Hanstein, director of the TWU School of the Arts. “Her
programs and the scope of their implementation are exemplars
of the kinds of initiatives we hope our students, through
their dance educations at TWU, will aspire to create.”
# # #
Dallas Black Dance
Theatre celebrates its 32nd season as the oldest, continuously
operating professional dance company in Dallas. The ensemble,
a contemporary modern dance company, consists of 12 professional,
full-time dancers performing a mixed repertory of modern,
jazz, ethnic and spiritual works by nationally and internationally
known choreographers. Over the course of its history, DBDT
has performed for 1.5 million arts patrons worldwide (40,000
of which were children). To keep up with demand and continue
to serve its local community, Ann Williams formed DBDT II,
the second performing company of Dallas Black Dance Theater.
This semi-professional
company consists of 12 aspiring artists from around the nation.
Since its inception, DBDT II has grown in popularity and thrilled
audiences with its fresh allure. DBDT is located at 2700 Flora
St.,on the corner of Ross Ave. & Arts Plaza in the Downtown
Dallas Arts District. The company is closing out its $10.5m
Capital Campaign that has renovated its new Arts District
home, the historic former Moorland YMCA. Additional information
is available at www.dbdt.com.
Texas Woman's University
occupies a notable position in higher education as the nation’s
largest university primarily for women. Its four campuses
in Denton, Dallas and Houston are joined by a fifth “e-Learning”
campus that offers innovative online degree programs in business,
education, nursing and general studies. Six consecutive years
of enrollment growth have produced a record enrollment of
12,183. TWU serves the citizens of Texas in a number of important
ways, including: producing more new nurses and health care
professionals than any other university in Texas, helping
ease the teacher shortage by placing highly qualified professionals
in the classroom, offering a liberal arts-based curriculum
that prepares students for success in an increasingly global
world, and conducting research that impacts the prevention
and treatment of childhood obesity, osteoporosis, stroke and
diabetes. For more information, visit www.twu.edu or call
(940) TWU-2000.
Media
Contact:
Elizabeth Lenart
VGS Marketing Group
972-395-9034
el@vgsmarketing.com |
