Cold,
snowy, and dark- On the outside, J-term may not seem like the most lively or
exciting time of the year. However, as you venture into the DanceSpace, you’ll
discover otherwise. The three weeks were filled with hours upon hours of
dancing. Every day, the dancers started with a warm up and a two hour ballet
class, followed with a seminar and lecture in the afternoon, and finally
finished with a couple hours of rehearsal to complete the day. The five hours
spent in the studio each day strengthened the dancers and increased their level
of technique and artistry.
J-term
offered amazing opportunities for the dancers to familiarize themselves with
different dance styles. These styles included Balanchine’s Serenade,
Bournonville’s Napoli, and unique student choreographed pieces. The variety of
styles helped push the dancers to their boundaries and explore new directions
of movement.
J-Term
also hosted Hannah Baumgarten as a guest artist from DanceNOW! Miami. She
taught many masterclasses as well as choreographed a new piece where she pushed
dancers to move in new ways. Dominic Fortunato said he “was pushed hard, but
completely inspired by the entire experience”. After just one class with her,
improvement and change grew apparent in each of the dancers.
At the end of the three weeks, the
dancers gave a performance to showcase the different dances they had been
working on. Anne St. John, a student of dance appreciation, “thought it was
really interesting and fun to see students step out of their element in
different dance styles and see each of them put their own personality into it”.
It was so exciting to see each of the dancer’s reveal a growing strength and
dedication that developed over the three weeks of J-Term!
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