Autor/-in: Joan Stone

Joan Stone participated in the American Dance Festival 1959 summer season, dedicated to the dance luminary Doris Humphries. She joined the American Independent Movement (AIM) in 1966 where the union of dance and politics created the space for Joan to choreograph dances with members of the community. She both organized and invited citizens to join in the creative process and the performances themselves during the politically charged years between 1967 and 1972. Joan documented her passion for dance and social consciousness in her posthumously published manuscript, Guerilla Dancer, 2026. Joan joined the dance faculty at the University of Kansas where she served as director of the dance division from fall 1997 through spring 2001, during which the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B. F. A. ) in dance was approved. When Joan retired, the University of Kansas honored her with the title Professor Emeritus. Throughout her period living in Lawrence, Joan choreographed solo and group performances, worked with students, and led an improvisational dance group called 4,5,6 Speed-up.