Ms. Wimmer’s unshakeable belief in the art of dance helped her forge the academic mission of the school which seeks to encourage the integration of artistic, intellectual and physical capacities of the individual.  Her vision has inspired and sustained the faculty, staff, students and graduates of the School for over 35 years.  Ms. Wimmer spearheaded the early accreditation of the School as a charter member of NASD and laid the foundations for the many achievements of the School of Dance as a recognized top ten school.

Shirley Wimmer came to Ohio in 1967 with an outstanding record as a dance performer and scholar of national renown.  During her high school years she performed with Elizabeth and Irma Duncan, Isadora Duncan’s artistic adoptees. She danced and acted in the original Broadway production of Dark of the Moon.  She studied with the historical legends of dance: Martha Hill, Hanya Holm, Louis Horst, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and Jose Limon.  She pursued extensive study in dance of other cultures, most notably Bharata  Natyam with Balasarasvati. Under a Ford Foundation Grant, she went to India (1956-57) to study the relationship between Art Dance and the Folk Dance in India and Southeast Asia. 

Shirley held teaching and administrative positions at such universities as UCLA, Connecticut College, SUNY Cortland, University of Michigan, and Mills College.  A brief spotlight of her work at Mills College in the late forties reveals the breadth of perspective she championed. She sponsored concerts by John Cage and Merce Cunningham.   She produced a demonstration on “Hawaiian Dance from the Historical Point of View” and a lecture by Katherine Dunham on “Anthropology and the Dance.”  At UCLA she coordinated new graduate curriculum in dance ethnology.

In 1969 Shirley Wimmer founded the School of Dance, originally housed in the Full Building on Court Street. Once at Ohio University, she applied her considerable energies and expertise to build one of the top ten undergraduate dance programs in the US.   Nominating her for Professor Emerita status, Dean Henry Lin said, “Not only is the establishment of the professional program in dance due to Miss Wimmer’s untiring efforts, but its progression and constant innovation to meet the needs of individual students has been a primary goal which she has accomplished.”

She brought extraordinary people to Ohio for performances and teaching residencies, and she hired faculty who knew that working with and for her would satisfy their professional aspirations. Indeed, three dance faculty have been honored with the University Professor Award for Teaching, a run that began with Shirley’s receipt of that award in 1971. 

Miss Wimmer passed away in 1994.  She created the template and the pattern for the School of Dance that exists today.  Its awards and honors descend from her dedication and inspiration.  The School of Dance moved to Putnam Hall in 1974 where it has since resided.  Renovation of Putnam Hall was completed in 2004.  In January 2005, Putnam Studio Theatre was dedicated to her memory as The Shirley Wimmer Dance Theatre. The dedication read, in part:

The legacy of Professor Wimmer’s inspirations and unstinting devotion to the development of the individual as dance artist and scholar serve as core values to the School of Dance and its mission.  Her vision embraced the contribution of the dance artist as scholar in the cultural, historical and ethnological contexts.  Her practice engaged others in the vitality of dance expression on the stage and in the studio.  Her mentorship guided others to achieve their aims.