As the inaugural director of dance education at UW-Madison, Parkins, 51, is aiming to get more dance education into the state’s school systems and training the next generation of dance teachers.
Although UW-Madison has been a hub for this work for decades, dance in Wisconsin’s public schools is dwindling. In the 2020-21 school year, just 1,066 students were enrolled in dance classes in Wisconsin schools, according to data from the Department of Public Instruction