Ph.D. (1980)
Marian Hannah Winter Professor of Theatre and Dance Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Sally Banes is recognized as an expert on the current dance scene and the new trends that are continually appearing in the art. She is one of the few people who, by studying the politics, theory, and techniques of dance, is able to distill and make sense of the power and force this present generation of dancers and choreographers exerts on society."
--Charles Flachs, Associate Professor of Dance, Mount Holyoke College
Sally was the chair of dance program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1992-1996 and a member of the Secretary of Faculty from 1999-2002. She is a past president and honorary fellow of the Society of Dance History Scholars. She has also served as the performance art critic for The Village Voice and as the editor of Dance Research Journal. In August 2003, Sally will be granted a lifetime achievement award by the Congress on Research in Dance for her contributions to dance studies. The award will be granted in Taiwan to coincide with a symposium on her work being held there.
Sally has published extensively on dance, including works such as: Greenwich Village 1963: Avant-Garde Performance and the Effervescent Body; Writing Dancing in the Age of Postmodernism; Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-Modern Dance; and Democracy's Body: Judson Dance Theater 1962-1964. Sally has also written on dance, theater, film, and performance art for numerous journals, including the SoHo Weekly News, The Hartford Courant, The Reader (Chicago), The Drama Review, Performing Arts Journal, Ballet Review, Dance Chronicle, and Dance Magazine, and she contributed a chapter on break dancing to Fresh: Hip Hop Don't Stop. Her most recent books are Dancing Women: Female Bodies on Stage, which explores images of women in dance from the 19th century to the present, and Subversive Expectations, a volume of collected performance art reviews.
At the time of this publishing, we are saddened to report that Sally is in the process of recovering from a devastating illness. We wish her all the best and look forward to the continuation of her already very distinguished career.
