An Open Letter to the University of Pittsburgh:

To the University of Pittsburgh,

We are the students of Pitt Dance Ensemble, a student organization that has been on campus since the 1950s and has served as a way for students to continue their passion for dance throughout their college career. We are writing to you because it has become clear that measures are being put in place to unceremoniously remove the Dance Minor without discussion. 

Our faculty advisor, Susan Gillis Kruman, retired last year after 43 years at the university where she worked  to build up the Dance Minor and Dance Ensemble into the creative, thriving programs that they are today. Since her retirement, the Department of Health and Human Development has had no interest in continuing to support the minor and her position at the university has not been replaced. With the loss of faculty for the Dance Minor, the Dance Ensemble has lost the faculty that advise and support us. These programs are closely intertwined and provide students with the opportunity to produce and perform dance concerts, training in techniques such as ballet, jazz, modern, and African dance with dance professionals, studies in dance pedagogy, production, history, and choreography. 

The continuation of the Dance Minor is invaluable for a tremendous number of students at the University of Pittsburgh. It is a unique characteristic of the university that allows students to dive deeper into their love for dance even if they do not want to pursue it as a career. Many students apply to Pitt specifically because we offer a Dance Minor and the university will lose out on those students if the program does not continue. Also, a number of our students in the Dance Ensemble decided to attend Pitt because of how fantastic the organization is at fostering love for dance at all levels. Additionally, alumni from the program have gone on to dance and choreograph professionally which would not have been possible without the opportunities provided by dance at Pitt. Dance combines physical, mental, and cognitive health while being an active, creative outlet for students. The university hosts music, theater, and art departments, why is dance not an equal partner for student choice?

Pitt Dance Ensemble and the Dance Minor are a close-knit group of welcoming and creative people who are looking to continue their passion for dance. We have made long-lasting friendships built on a love for an art form that is appreciated by so many. Just this weekend at the activities fair, students were running up to us in the downpour, profusely thanking us for still sitting there, telling us they had come to the fair just to find us, and how excited they were to continue dancing while in college. An entire community of people would be lost if these programs were no longer to exist, people who simply appreciate watching dance as well as those who love doing it. We, and the future students of the University of Pittsburgh, deserve to continue spreading this joy through these programs. 

We are asking for a solution rather than a removal of the Dance Minor and Dance Ensemble along with it. We are aware of Arts programs at the University who are more than willing to bring dance into their department, we just need your help to make it happen.

Sincerely,

Pitt Dance Ensemble