Honoring a devoted teacher and friend
Alums dance for retiring professor Cheryl Mrozowski
The spring performance of the Wheaton College Dance Company was coming to a close. As was the long career of beloved Professor of Dance Cheryl Mrozowski.
The sounds of “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Khan filled Weber Theatre, in homage to Professor Mrozowski, who has long favored the tune for jazz warm-up. Fourteen talented alums appeared on stage to dance their hearts out for two numbers, concluding with “What I Did for Love” from “A Chorus Line.”
At the end, a spotlight appeared on their teacher, mentor and friend, sitting in her usual seat. Professor Mrozowski rose to an ovation of cheers for a job done extraordinarily well, for nearly four decades.
“It was as good as it gets,” she said. “I was totally surprised! I had alumni spanning 30 years on that stage dancing. It was amazing!”
The impact that she has had on so many individuals at Wheaton is immeasurable.
“Cheryl has been a real embodiment of the values Wheaton holds close,” said Clinton O’Dell, associate professor of theatre design, who has worked with Cheryl since 2006. “She devoted 38 years to a program that barely existed when she arrived on campus.”
In 1987, dance was a part of Wheaton’s athletics program and offered as an option for filling a physical education requirement. For more than a decade, Mrozowski worked to create a major and a minor in dance, which joined the theatre program and were, at long last, added to the curriculum in 2001.
“Cheryl elevated dance at Wheaton to its deserved place as an art form and an academic discipline,” said O’Dell. “The work that Cheryl has produced with the Dance Company is on par with many conservatory-style programs … Its excellence stems from her unwavering commitment to discipline and rigorous study of dance technique.”
Mrozowski, who joined the Board of Trustees at Salve Regina University (her alma mater) in 2007 and was elected chair in 2018, has always believed that sustained engagement in the dance studio offers lifelong enrichment, feeding students and alums artistically, intellectually, and physically. The graduates who returned to perform confirmed that belief.
Robyn Byer ’94 explained, “Cheryl was such an inspiration for hundreds of dancers. She was our mother away from home; always watching out for us, challenging us and advocating for us. She is the heart and soul of dance at Wheaton.”
Caitlin Foley ’98 was honored to participate in the dance to celebrate her love and respect for her mentor. “Cheryl gave me confidence, not only as a dancer but as an adult,” she shared. “My lessons from her will forever impact me in everything I do.”
The Dance Company alums learned the dance individually from videos supplied by choreographer Trisha Carr McCoy ’08, who coordinated the effort with Elise Barrar Dolen ’10 and Laura Peters ’10. The trio worked with the Alumni Relations office to reconnect with alum dancers and invite them to join in this tribute performance. The alums met and rehearsed the ensemble for one afternoon before debuting it that evening.
Their collective love and respect for Mrozowski stems from the way that they were treated while dancing at Wheaton—like family.
“My greatest connection to Wheaton is through the dance community, where I created my fondest memories in the studio and on the stage with my dance family. Cheryl supported and cultivated the dance community at Wheaton to make it the incredible program it is,” said Dolen.
“I discovered my passion for choreographing at Wheaton, thanks to Cheryl’s encouragement and the range of professional choreographers she invited to work with the Dance Company,” said McCoy, who has choreographed more than dozen dances at Wheaton and five musicals at Connecticut theaters and schools. “Cheryl is more than a professor to many of us and has been to many of our big life events post-graduation … Her presence at Wheaton will be missed, but she’s leaving behind a legacy.”
O’Dell concluded, “The alumni performance was a testament to what Cheryl has offered Wheaton students over her career. It was amazing to see that legacy fully embodied on stage.”