School of Dance founder’s legacy lives on in alumna’s impact, current students

Darlene Patterson Spencer, BA ’69, is pictured with Wimmer/Patterson Urban Dance Award recipient Jillian Lewis, BFA ’22, at an event during the 2019 Black Alumni Reunion held in September on the Athens Campus. Photo courtesy of Darlene Patterson Spencer

It was 50 years ago that Ohio University established its School of Dance, and ever since then one of OHIO’s earliest dance students, Darlene Patterson Spencer, has been carrying on the legacy of the school’s founder, the late Shirley Wimmer.

“Dr. Wimmer challenged me to reach deep inside of myself to bring out my creative talents as a dancer and choreographer,” Patterson Spencer, BA ’69, said of the OHIO faculty member who has been the inspiration for much of her life’s work. “Her encouragement and her belief in me made me expand my horizons.”

As an Ohio University student, Patterson Spencer pursued a degree in social work, embarking on her college journey at a time when there was no formal dance program at OHIO. She enrolled in the couple of dance courses offered, building on the skills she began developing in ballet classes at age 7 and fine-tuning through the study of modern dance.

Patterson Spencer’s passion for dance gained momentum in 1968 when Wimmer joined the faculty at OHIO and began building the University’s formal dance program that launched in 1969. Patterson Spencer was already familiar with Wimmer’s work through her friend and internationally known artist and choreographer Dianne McIntyre and was eager to learn from her.

According to Patterson Spencer, Wimmer took her under her wing, pushing her to pursue new opportunities and forms of dance.

The late Shirley Wimmer established Ohio University’s School of Dance in 1969. In honor of her early dance years and Wimmer’s influence in her life, alumna Darlene Patterson Spencer established the Wimmer/Patterson Urban Dance Award. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

“Dr. Wimmer would let me bring drummers into the studio at OU to work on some major pieces of choreography when I was one of her students,” Patterson Spencer said. “I was the first to bring live drummers to work out choreography.”

Even after graduation, Patterson Spencer carried Wimmer’s words of wisdom and her spirit with her. She began studying African dance while teaching kindergarten in her hometown of Cleveland, and when her husband was offered a job opportunity in New York City, Patterson Spencer again thought of her teacher and mentor who had suggested that she move to the Big Apple to further nurture her talent.

In New York, Patterson Spencer completed her master’s degree in early childhood education while exploring the realm of African dance, studying under indigenous teachers from a variety of countries of the African diaspora.

“This was also during the height of the cultural revolution taking place across America where African Americans were focusing on their African roots and their relationship with our ancestral homeland,” she said. “When we’re doing African dance, especially if you’re being taught by an indigenous teacher, we’re doing dances that have been done for, in some instances, generations.”

When Patterson Spencer was approached to serve as executive director the United Federation of Black Community Organizations Child Development Center, a large early childhood program in Harlem, she again thought of Wimmer. Charged with bringing engaging activities to the center’s after-school and summer programs, Patterson Spencer turned to dance.

“(Dance) was a natural extension of who I am, and the children really enjoy the excitement that African dance gives to them,” she said.

The dance program Patterson Spencer built at the center has impacted hundreds of children and the greater community and made her the Shirley Wimmer in their lives. Patterson Spencer’s love of dance and commitment to sharing that artform with others continued when she returned to Cleveland seven years ago and began assisting with her church’s dance ministry.

But it all started at Ohio University where Patterson Spencer said, “I did my first best work,” and with Wimmer.

In honor of her early dance years and Wimmer’s influence in her life, Patterson Spencer established the Wimmer/Patterson Urban Dance Award, providing underrepresented dance students financial support to help defray some of the costs associated with preparing for a career in the arts.

Wimmer/Patterson Urban Dance Award recipients Cierra Hill, BFA ’20, and Jillian Lewis, BFA ’22, are seen outside of Putnam Hall’s Shirley Wimmer Dance Theater. Both the theater and the financial assistance the students are receiving through the award established by Darlene Patterson Spencer, BA ’69, are named in honor of the founder of Ohio University’s School of Dance. Photo courtesy of Jillian Lewis

“It’s very important to nourish and support these students because this is where they get their basic tools, which will prepare them to build successful careers,” Patterson Spencer said. “Money is usually a concern for many students. Helping them in this area can help them focus on their educational goals and stimulate their creative juices to their fullest potential. They can just focus on the goals and create because as artists that’s what we do – create.”

Patterson Spencer also sees her philanthropy as a means of advancing Ohio University’s dance program and supporting Travis Gatling who is following in the footsteps of Wimmer as the artistic director and head of the Dance Division within OHIO’s School of Dance, Film, and Theater.

“This award program actually helps continue to build the excellent reputation of the OU dance program as it is already nationally regarded as an excellent training ground for future artists, choreographers, entrepreneurs and community leaders,” she said.

Wimmer/Patterson Urban Dance Award recipient Jillian Lewis, BFA ’22, met Patterson Spencer at last year’s Winter Dance Concert and reconnected at Ohio University’s 2019 Black Alumni Reunion. Lewis said both she and her family are grateful for the alumna’s financial assistance.

“But most importantly,” Lewis said, “I have gained a friend in the dance world. Darlene Patterson Spencer is so full of life and stories and is always in the audience to support the dance program.”

Cierra Hill, BFA ’20, will be graduating from OHIO next year and is looking forward to all the opportunities available in a career in dance.

“The Wimmer/Patterson Urban Dance Award has opened so many doors for me,” Hill said. “I have made connections that will last a lifetime. … I am very blessed to be supported not only by my family and friends in my schooling, but also by individuals such as Ms. Darlene Patterson Spencer who have seen something in me that they want to encourage. I am super excited to see what the future holds, and I hope that in the future I will be able to give back to those who gave to me and encourage someone else who may be like me.”