I will always be grateful to the Humanities Department at Brigham Young University that gave me the background in interdisciplinary studies needed to tackle this project. I am also appreciative of my time at Johnson County Community College. Teaching a unit on dance every semester for the past five years has helped keep this project fresh.
I need to thank the library staff at the Murphy Art and Architecture Library, the Inter-Library Loan department, and the Edwards Campus, whose librarians found me another microfilm reader in Johnson County when theirs broke. I also wish to thank the librarians at the Archives of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Watson Library, and the Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives.
Finally, I must acknowledge the support of my family. My parents, Scott and Donna Gillespie, and in-laws, Val and Dorothy Stephens, have been nothing less than enthusiastic supporters through all my academic endeavors. Mom and Dorothy, thank you for keeping my home running while I completed my research. My sister Paige, who loves learning as much as I do, and brother Taggart have been faithful cheerleaders as have my sisters and brothers-in law, Aaron, Brooke, Jen, Rod, Peter, and Danielle. My boy Beckett made certain that writing my dissertation was never boring. Most especially, I need to thank my husband Nathan, who has been by my side from my first days at the University of Kansas, has seen the highs and lows of the life of a graduate student, and has never wavered.