In 1949, Texas Christian University became the first university in the United States to offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Ballet. Under the guidance of David Preston, the department's first chair, the department established its mission to balance dance training with academic achievement.

 

The department's second chair, Fernando Schaffenburg, was driven to broaden student expertise through diverse experience. In 1968 Schaffenburg invited Jerry Bywaters Cochran to join the faculty to create a BFA in Modern Dance. By 1976, a Master of Fine Arts in both Ballet and Modern Dance was added to the curriculum. In the 1980s the department continued to grow under the leadership of chairs Stephanie Woods Rand and James Clouser.

 

Current chair Ellen Page Shelton continues the legacy of excellence in both classical and contemporary dance studies at TCU with a faculty that strives to bring depth to a growing program by blending artistic integrity and technical excellence with academic challenge. Comprehensive and progressive, the newly renamed School for Classical and Contemporary Dance at TCU is rewarded with a national reputation for graduating dancers who possess excellence in both professional dance training and academic success. As a result graduates enter the world as educated dance artists.

 

Maggie Moar Sapp, Nancy Schaffenburg (seated l-r), Victor Moreno, Jerry Bywaters Cochran, Fernando Schaffenburg.