Current instructor

Karen Mcshane-Hellenbrand

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.21/5 from 19 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

DANCE 100
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
I took social dance I and it was the easiest class ever. Attendance was mandatory (you also get 2 free absence passes). Karen seems to love teaching dance. The tests is a memorized dance routine that you learn up until the test, and she makes sure you are really prepared for the test. The final is multiple-choice, and she gave a study guide too.
Rate My Professors ↗
DANCE 111
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Karen has clear expectations for her students that might seem tough for non-dance majors. You get 2 free skips; more than like 5 skipped classes is an auto fail! Try your best in this class, that's what counts the most. The only tests are a midterm and a final, both are a few minute combos with excruciatingly long essays to write after about them.
Rate My Professors ↗
DANCE 111
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Karen was great! She definitely cares about her students and wants to get to know them.
Rate My Professors ↗
DANCE02 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
She is so sweet and caring. She will accomendate you. She gives you open-book final exam by giving you notes and answers. She yelles at moves and messes up moves sometimes ;) She will be your dance partner if you do not have a partner. She smiles a lot and she is fun-loving. Shr is a bubbly girl with a good heart who is a embassador of water dance.
Rate My Professors ↗
DANCE 100
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
I really enjoyed Ballroom with Karen. The grading was a little unclear at times due to Canvas, but she did explain it. She also had office hours, which was super useful for when I couldn't make it to class. Overall a very fun experience! Be aware you have to attend department concerts, which is a requirement of the department.
Rate My Professors ↗
DANCE 111
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
Love Karen, I've taken two of her classes and she super funny. Grading is so easy with just midterm and final (Plus 5% of the grade for going to performances outside of class)
Rate My Professors ↗

Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Karen Mcshane-Hellenbrand

SOCIAL DANCE I introduces basic movement concepts and skills for social dancing.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

DANCE 111 teaches elementary-level contemporary dance technique and theory, focusing on the body as a creative instrument.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Karen Mcshane-Hellenbrand is described as funny and caring, with students appreciating her effort to get to know them. Reviewers note her grading is easy, relying on a midterm, final, and optional performance attendance.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025

A laboratory in mind-body practice focusing on bodily awareness and function for performing artists through movement, readings, and discussion.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Spring 2026

DANCE 162 is a first-year workshop introducing contemporary dance.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025

DANCE 399 is an independent project course involving advanced study in dance under faculty direction.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

DANCE 699 is an independent project course for advanced study under faculty direction.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026DANCE 101Social Dance I
Fall 2026DANCE 111Contemporary Dance Technique and Theory I
Fall 2026DANCE 132Workshop in Body Studies and Practices
Fall 2026DANCE 162First Year Workshop
Fall 2026DANCE 399Independent Project
Fall 2026DANCE 699Independent Project

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance
{
  "instructor_uid": "instructor_25fca1c1f16055123da76786",
  "source": "enrollment",
  "source_instructor_id": "kamcshan",
  "identity_basis": "netid",
  "identity_status": "source_identified",
  "name": "Karen Mcshane-Hellenbrand",
  "email": "KAMCSHAN@WISC.EDU",
  "first_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
  "last_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
  "ratings": {
    "review_count": 19,
    "quality": 4.21,
    "difficulty": 2.32,
    "quality_count": 19,
    "difficulty_count": 19,
    "profile_id": "rmp:1208152",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1208152",
    "match_basis": "exact_name",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:25:03.315963+00:00",
    "courses": {
      "course_04b5a8f79c49bfd809f7919d": {
        "review_count": 4,
        "quality": 4.25,
        "difficulty": 3,
        "quality_count": 4,
        "difficulty_count": 4
      },
      "course_e29b146baf0636a1e3427a68": {
        "review_count": 4,
        "quality": 4.5,
        "difficulty": 2.25,
        "quality_count": 4,
        "difficulty_count": 4
      }
    },
    "bayesian_quality": 3.9277875813059464,
    "prior_mean": 3.6596857835465957,
    "prior_weight": 20
  },
  "current": true,
  "courses": [
    {
      "course_uid": "course_0a3724dbe897c188348f80de",
      "course_id": "DANCE 699",
      "title": "INDEPENDENT PROJECT",
      "credits_min": 0,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 4
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_8b4263ee830d263cc71e75fe",
      "course_id": "DANCE 132",
      "title": "WORKSHOP IN BODY STUDIES AND PRACTICES",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 1,
      "gpa": 3.936
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_a9fd297f8071edf56bfdd77a",
      "course_id": "DANCE 101",
      "title": "SOCIAL DANCE I",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 1,
      "gpa": 3.901
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_bae6568bcb36e9cd4becbda6",
      "course_id": "DANCE 399",
      "title": "INDEPENDENT PROJECT",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 3.826
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_e29b146baf0636a1e3427a68",
      "course_id": "DANCE 111",
      "title": "CONTEMPORARY DANCE TECHNIQUE AND THEORY I",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 3.819
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_fbffdf989d96f2e698b07a16",
      "course_id": "DANCE 162",
      "title": "FIRST YEAR WORKSHOP",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 1,
      "gpa": 3.907
    }
  ],
  "revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "instructor_url": "/instructors/KAREN_MCSHANE-HELLENBRAND"
}