By
Lisa Lucas
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Prof. John Wilson retires from UA dance department after 25 years of teaching
John Wilson, a professor of dance at the UA, is preparing to say goodbye to the dance division and hello to retirement at the end of this semester.
During his 25 years at the University of Arizona and 40 years teaching college dance, Wilson has created 96 ballets.
Three of these were choreographed for this year, including "Heritage of Earth," which was showcased at the "Premium Blend" dance concert, and "Indri's Dream," which was re-enacted for the Arizona Arts Odyssey Festival.
He dedicates many of his pieces to family members because of their continued support throughout his career.
"'Heritage of Earth' was dedicated to my wife," Wilson said. "(And) I dedicated one (piece) to my daughter who graduated here about 12 years ago."
As chairman of the UA dance division for the past 22 years, Wilson said he has enjoyed watching the department grow.
"I have really enjoyed seeing the department evolve and develop with fresh new faculty coming in," Wilson said. "(They) always have wonderful, fresh new ideas - new vitality. It keeps me young"
He added that he has also enjoyed getting to know his students.
"I think I have been the primary advisor for about 64 graduate students (and) several hundred undergraduates since I've been here," Wilson said. "They've been really wonderful and gone on to have wonderful careers and wonderful lives."
Wilson said he hopes he has encouraged his students to have "a real reverence for sustaining life" and to enjoy all that life has to offer.
"Not only in their own lives," he added, "but as working creative artists and people in what they can do to sustain people, the environment (and) everything that's alive around them."
He continued, "I have lots of friends from different (academic) areas and all of them are so creative - you don't have to be (in) fine arts to contribute to life and the earth."
If nothing else, Wilson seems to have been a favorite of his dance students.
"I love Dr. Wilson - he's a great man," said dance senior Adam Davies. "He's incredible to work with."
Dance junior Carissa Wong added that Wilson, who was her first modern dance instructor, has played an integral part in the development of the dance curriculum at the UA, creating such classes as "Dance and World Culture" and "Biomechanics."
"He put together a lot of the academics that we have," she said. "He adds so much knowledge to the courses - it's unbelievable. He has acquired so much knowledge throughout his years and he shares it so openly with his students."
Wong added that she has always been encouraged by Wilson's adamant belief that students should learn from their own mistakes.
"We should be able to fail here," she said. "A failure is not really a failure - (it is) another way of growing."
Wilson said he would like to extend personal thanks to all of his students and his colleagues at the UA.
"I had a wonderful time (here) and I hope they're able to continue with having a wonderful, creative time with their lives, too, and to share that," he said.
After retirement, Wilson plans to spend more time with his "wonderfully supportive" family, including his grandchildren and his wife, with whom he plans to travel this summer.
He added that he will also be doing a lot of writing throughout his retirement and he hopes to build a butterfly garden and solar-power his house. Wilson will continue to choreograph next fall for a dance company in Seattle as well as for a company in Tucson.
