Janet Descutner, Associate Professor Emerita
(541) 346-3379 • 166 Gerlinger Annex
jdescut@uoregon.edu

Janet Wynn Descutner, an Associate Professor Emerita who currently teaches part time in the Department, came to the University in 1971. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Cum Laude with a B.A. from The Ohio State University, majoring in French Literature with minors in Art History and Dance. While teaching as a full-time Instructor, she completed an M.A. in Dance, presenting the first choreographic Masters thesis in the OSU Dance program. She subsequently was a dance faculty member at the University of Michigan, 1967-8, and Kent State University, 1968-71, before coming to Eugene.

In her research, Janet has focussed on modern dance and tap choreography and performance, and reconstruction of dances recorded in Labanotation, particularly the work of Doris Humphrey. From 1989-1996, she was co-director of the NorthWest Tap Consort, which toured Oregon and Washington.

She is on the Asian Studies faculty, teaching Dance in Asia, and has collaborated with UO Theater Arts colleagues on several Asian/Western fusion productions, inspired by Japanese and Balinese artistic traditions. For the production "Kabuki Bacchae," she and Professor Jerry Williams were awarded by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for "Directorial Concept." KCACTF also honored her choreography for "Chimera," an original play accompanied by music composed by the players of the School of Music's gamelan ensemble. Janet was awarded two NEH Fellowships (1979 and 1983) to study Asian performing arts, emphasizing Indian dance forms and Japanese drumming.