Dorothy M. Vislocky

Dorothy M. Vislocky was an accomplished choreographer and Hunter College graduate, who left an indelible mark on the world of dance. Born in Brooklyn in 1927, Vislocky was drawn to dance from a young age, and began studying ballet at the age of six. Her long and distinguished career as a dancer and choreographer started in 1952, when she was a founding member of the Alwin Nikolais Dance Company. 

Vislocky served on the Hunter faculty from the early 1960s until 1986, and concurrently pursued a remarkable professional dance career. She earned an MA in Dance Therapy in 1971, taught in the New York City public schools, and returned to Hunter as a professor, where she almost single-handedly established dance as a valued field of study. While a member of the Physical Education Department, she founded the Hunter College Dance Company and subsequently wrote the curriculum for the Dance Program, which she directed from 1972 to 1986. 

In 1959, Vislocky founded her own dance company, and over the course of her career, Vislocky choreographed more than 75 works, many commissioned by major dance companies such as the American Ballet Theatre and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Vislocky continued to create and perform well into her 70s, never losing her passion for dance. She is remembered for a legacy as one of the most innovative and influential choreographers of her time, and as an exceptional teacher and mentor to many generations of Hunter students.