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How Did Maryrose Reeves Allen Impact On Howard University

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Maryrose Reeves Allen and the Howard University Modern Dance Group
Alexis Diggs
Howard University Abstract
In this paper, the work and impact of Maryrose Reeves Allen on Howard University’s campus is explored. Maryrose Reeves Allen was the head of the Department of Physical Education for Women at Howard University, and founder of the Howard University Modern Dance Group. Through a focus on physical, spiritual, mental health for women, she was able to build a program that enriched women, and created personal awareness. While focusing on women’s health, she also provided a platform for audiences to experience dance as both exercise and an art form. She instilled in every woman that they should walk in beauty, and created a legacy that continues …show more content…

She incorporated fine arts education into her physical education curriculum and worked towards a scheme that satisfied a woman’s total personality. It was important that the concept of beauty to a woman was all encompassing, inclusive of physical makeup, athletic activity, mental, and physical health. All of these aspects became vital to the central function of the department as a whole. In her time at Howard University she created a platform for her students and dancers, presenting things like lecture demonstrations, master classes, and even festivals and workshops to expose a wide range of people to dance. The Howard University Modern Dance Group gave Ms. Reeves Allen the medium to express the idea of dance as self-realization through fine movement, and created a presence for dance as a fine art on campus. Through her leadership of both the dance troupe and the physical education department, Ms. Reeves Allen changed the way physical education for women was …show more content…

Anyone could audition to become a member of the group, and prospective members were adjudicated by current group members. Ms. Reeves Allen put no ceiling on her group. By offering an unlimited number of members, everyone that was deserving of a position with the group received one. The Beginners group focused on basic training, building a technical foundation, and body awareness. The Intermediate group focused on expanding the technical knowledge and foundation built in the Beginners level, and introduced a focus on movement quality, choreographic abilities, and a development of musicality. The Intermediate/ Advanced group expected a high level of technique, while also fostering a dancer’s individuality, explorations of themes in work, and further strengthening. The Advanced honors group of dancers had to be technically proficient, have a certain level of maturity and focus on their comprehension of all elements of dance from vocabulary, to time and

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