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Where Are They Now: Peter Sparling
From violinist to dancer to visual artist, Peter Sparling embodies a lifelong commitment to the arts.
Peter Sparling (AS 64-66, IAA 66-69, IAC St 70, IAC Fac 72), the Rudolf Arnheim Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Dance and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Emeritus at University of Michigan, arrived at Interlochen as a 13-year-old violinist. By the time he graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy five years later, he had discovered a new path in dance that would shape the rest of his life. After graduating from The Juilliard School, he was a member of the José Limón Dance Company and principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company from 1973-87. He continues to set works by Graham on companies around the world. He directed the Peter Sparling Dance Company from 1993-2008 and was recognized with the 1998 Governor’s Michigan Artist Award. His dances for video have been selected for numerous international festivals. Outside the dance studio, he is a lecturer, published poet, essayist, and painter. Since retiring from the University of Michigan in 2018, he has presented three solo shows of his paintings at Gallery 22 North and shown at galleries across Michigan.
The comprehensive exposure to the arts and academics at IAA gave me a huge head start. It provided me a community of like-minded peers that became a model for over six decades of creative collaborations, interdisciplinary projects, and personal friendships. At a time of incredible social and cultural change, Interlochen set my ethical and esthetic compass, pointing me towards a life of intense personal drive tempered with a desire to serve and give back via the arts.