Statement of Dissent (1938)
Choreographed by Louise Kloepper

Image of Ella Rosewood in "Statement of Dissent" (1938) choreographed by Louise Kloepper.  

Statement of Dissent (1938)
Choreography by Louise Kloepper
Staged by Ella Rosewood with permission of Scott Davis
Coached by Claudia Melrose
Danced by Ella Rosewood
Music from the Young America Dances Motion Picture
Costume by Cheryl Lovett based on the original 

Louise Kloepper (1910-1996) studied ballet with Mary Ann Wells in Seattle as a teenager and upon graduation from high school in 1929, traveled to Berlin, Germany where she entered the Mary Wigman School of the Dance.  She was the first American pupil to earn a diploma there.  Kloepper spent the next decade teaching and dancing at the Mary Wigman School in New York, directed by Hanya Holm. She also participated in three transcontinental tours with Hanya Holm and Company, and was best known for her roles in Trend, Metropolitan Daily, and Golden Fleece.  Kloepper taught at several summer programs around the country including Bennington College, Mills College, and Perry Mansfield.  In the fall of 1942, she was the first dance professional admitted as a dance student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  One semester after her arrival, she taught classes in dance technique, to the amazement of her fellow students. On occasion she was registered in the same classes that she taught.  Kloepper earned her Bachelor of Science degree in dance from UW-Madison in 1946, and the same year became an Assistant Professor in the program.  At the university, she worked closely with Margaret H'Doubler on all aspects of the curriculum.  Kloepper co-chaired the program between 1954-62, and chaired it from 1963-70 while also teaching technique and composition courses until her retirement in 1975.