ANN ARBOR—In the most significant development since the University of Michigan Department of Dance was established within the School of Music in 1976, the National Association of Schools of Dance has conferred accreditation status to the department .

” The NASD rating is more than a formality or simply an inclusion in a national organization,” said Bill DeYoung, chair of the Department of Dance in what is now the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. ” It recognizes the dance department for having a comprehensive and proven program, and for performing at the highest level of dance education.”

For the past two decades, the department has been home to some of the top dancers and choreographers in the country. Faculty include former members of the Martha Graham Dance Company and Joffrey Ballet Company, along with choreographers who have created works for a range of regional, national and international dance companies.

Since the mid-1980s, the dance program has earned international acclaim while being considered alongside other top conservatories within major research universities. During that time, the department did not seek accreditation.

Three years ago, however, NASD officials made the case that the time had come for U-M to join the impressive list of nationally accredited dance programs that includes other Big Ten schools: The Ohio State University, University of Illinois and University of Minnesota. The list of NASD-accredited programs also includes Western Michigan and Wayne State universities. .

Since 2003 the nine-members of the dance faculty scrutinized their teaching methods and curriculum and measured whether current facilities met students’ needs. The intensive self-evaluation revealed an objective portrait of the department, DeYoung says.

Since undertaking the evaluation, the department has modified the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts programs. With accreditation and national recognition as an NASD member, DeYoung expects applications will increase, which means the department can be more selective in accepting students.

DeYoung points out that the report confirmed a long-held view that the department has outgrown its current space. The NASD report stated: ” As the institution engages in long-range planning initiatives, consideration should be given to developing facilities for the Department of Dance that are consistent with the quality and stature of its programs.”

Other findings from the evaluation include establishing a performance space that complements current venues and offers a more intimate setting for smaller audiences and increasing its endowment.

” The NASD rating is a watershed in our history, an important step in recognizing dance as a legitimate place in the academy,” said deYoung, a Fulbright scholar and internationally renowned choreographer. ” Through our teaching and key collaborations around the University, we’ve proven that the dance is perhaps the most agile of all art forms, drawing on many disciplines, from the visual arts to science.”

Recent high-profile collaborations include the department’s participation in ” Celebrating St. Petersburg: 300 Years of Cultural Brilliance,” a multiarts festival in 2003, and ” This is Your Brain on Dance,” a seminar held in 2004 that examined the relationships among kinesiology, psychology, dance and neurology.

” The dance department demands that students find bridges between making art and the relationships to other arts and sciences,” said Peter Sparling, professor of dance and former department chair, who led the discussion during ” This is Your Brain on Dance.”

” Few other universities offer a setting where dance students can explore human movement and gesture within the context of a world-class research institution, where researchers are examining the biology and physics of the human condition,” Sparling said.

Since the early 1930s, the department has been in the vanguard of elevating dance as an integral discipline in higher education. The tradition runs from former Department of Kinesiology Dean Margaret Bell’s innovative leadership in offering students a range of dance activities to former Dance Department leaders Esther Pease and Elizabeth Bergmann’s efforts to have the department move to the School of Music.

During his tenure, former School of Music Dean Paul Boylan was instrumental in elevating all of the arts programs at the University. Boylan led the drive to increase endowments of the respective departments, and articulated a vision that stands today: that by recruiting and hiring the best faculty, the music, theatre and dance programs will attract the best students. It was under Boylan’s leadership that the dance department moved in 1976 to the School of Music.

” While we are quite proud of our history and the many dancers who’ve passed through the department, we also need to address ongoing issues and make sure we’re taking the steps to be at the forefront of dance education,” said Jessica Fogel, professor of dance and choreographer, who participated in the intensive three-year department review.

” This NASD accreditation identifies challenges, and helps us make our case that we have an unprecedented opportunity,” she said. ” We’re up to the task.”