Two members of the Department of Dance faculty received awards at the 2023 Fall Awards ceremony at the Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts. Daniel Burkholder and Dan Schuchart were both recognized for their teaching.
Daniel Burkholder, Faculty Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award
Daniel Burkholder balances creative play with academic structure and rigor in his teaching, according to Maria Gillespie, chair of the Dance Department. He encourages student participation in research, serving as a SURF mentor to help students gain professional development as they experience the creative process. Recently two students spent a semester with him experimenting with various approaches to creating choreography in virtual reality.
Burkholder works with students to incorporate new media and projections into choreography and performances. He also brings innovative dance into the community. His work, “Scenic Route-MKE,” was set outside throughout different Milwaukee locations, attracting audiences to improvised performances in natural settings. In the summer of 2022, Burkholder led 12 UWM students in a two-week study abroad in Paris at the Camping International Dance Festival. Students explored international dance and met dance students from outside the U.S.
Before joining UWM in 2011, Burkholder had invested 20 years in innovative dancemaking, teaching, research and community engagement as the artistic director of the Washington, D.C., based dance company The Playground. A graduate of UWM’s master’s program, Burkholder was honored with a GOLD (Graduate of the Last Decade) award in 2018.
Dan Schuchart, Academic Staff Outstanding Teaching Award
Dan Schuchart teaches a wide range of classes for the Department of Dance. Maria Gillespie, recent dance chair, shared that Schuchart’s immense experience and talent allow him to instruct in a broad scope that integrates dance technique, creative practices and theoretical, research-driven work. Schuchart teaches required courses for both the dance major and minor as well as arts GERs that attract students from across the university.
“Teaching classes that involve dancers and non-majors can be challenging,” one student wrote, “but he was able to work effectively with both groups.”
When the pandemic hit, he took the opportunity to re-evaluate course instruction, and as a result has helped expand the Dance Department’s ongoing offerings in online, asynchronous classes.
Schuchart serves on the department’s undergraduate admissions team and helps facilitate outreach and recruiting activities. He is the faculty representative for the American College Dance Association and served as conference manager three times when UWM hosted the event, most recently in 2022, which brought 350-plus attendees and 26 universities to campus.
Schuchart is also active in the local dance community. He is artistic director of Wild Space Dance Company and collaborates with many others.
“Dan excels at making learning about movement accessible,” wrote one student.
Read more about the awards on UWM Report.