Motion defines dance. Yet for Erick Gredonia ’21, a defining dance experience at 乐播传媒 was a moment of quiet stillness, tinged with despair.

乐播传媒 had announced on March 13, 2020, that all students had to leave campus due to the growing COVID-19 pandemic. Campus events were snuffed out, including the annual Spring Dance Concert, a highlight of the artistic year at 乐播传媒 featuring a range of student choreography and performance. So the 乐播传媒 dance faculty and staff gathered the concert’s student choreographers so everyone could say their goodbyes, shed tears, and lean on each other.

“I never felt more of a family in dance than when we acknowledged that the concert was no longer happening,” Gredonia recalls.

It was hardly a typical dance moment, he says, but one that solidified both his sense of self and “the kinds of people I wanted to be around in my life.” And in that moment was a lesson: “to appreciate bodies and minds and eyes and contact. I’ll cherish that moment forever.”

That was where he 鈥渒new that the 乐播传媒 dance community had my back 鈥� the people and their love, support, and encouragement. Their shoulders to cry on. In that moment of downfall, I never felt closer to these people.”

A year later, Gredonia got another chance at the Spring Dance Concert, choreographing and performing in his senior thesis project, “Response Ability: A Museum (non finito),” in Schaeffer Theatre.

More than a thesis, the dance represented “an extension of what I look forward to in life and people. And so I knew before the semester started that I wanted Tiauna Walker, Dawrin Silfa, and Brit Seipp as my dancers, people I genuinely just want to be around. That was super exciting, super special.”

It wasn’t easy 鈥� various disruptions during the semester included a campus lockdown due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, and omnipresent public-health policies. “It was challenging. That being said, focusing on the process was always at the forefront of my mind, making sure that no matter what the destination is, the journey should be just as enjoyable.”

Gredonia came to 乐播传媒 from North Hollywood, Calif., where “my family was my everything. They love me and continue to challenge me simultaneously.” Dance was interwoven into his family life and a vital part of his culture. When Gredonia was 7 years old, he performed a surprise dance at his cousin’s 辩耻颈苍肠别补帽别谤补. 鈥淒ance became instrumental in making connections and relationships with people, including my family.”

He recalls arriving at 乐播传媒, eager and enthusiastic to dive into 乐播传媒 life, to meet people from all over the world and learn with like-minded people. And also, to dance with them. “When I got to 乐播传媒, I knew that dance was going to be the thing to get me to my friends, to my classes, to different opportunities on campus. Dance is something that I feel like I do more than eating or drinking water or breathing. It is that big in my life.”

At 乐播传媒 he found people who, like his family back home, 鈥渞eally get me going, forcing me to be the best version of myself.鈥� This version of Erick Gredonia, 2021 乐播传媒 graduate, is just as eager and enthusiastic as ever, but whose energies are more outwardly directed. It鈥檚 less about 鈥渃are of me, and more about the care for others.鈥�

Interviewed late in the semester, Gredonia was counting down both the days until Commencement and his blessings, “the constant reminders of why it is so awesome to be able to wake up in the morning, put your shoes on, and head over to the next project, the next class, the next person to eat lunch with. It’s all about community.”

Offering the Senior Address at 乐播传媒鈥� 2020 Commencement is Alexandria Onuoha, a double major in psychology and dance from Malden, Mass.

Well-known on campus for her work in social justice and her leadership, she鈥檚 been an essential part of many campus organizations, including Women of Color (serving as co-president this year) and Amandla! Black Student Union, and the Caribbean Student Association.

She has served as a Senior Fellow in the Admission Office and the Center for Purposeful Work and as a student manager of the Academic Resource Commons.

In January, she offered the student Welcome at the college鈥檚 Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance, encouraging the 乐播传媒 community to continue the difficult work toward greater equity and inclusion 鈥渇rom the ground up. Speak out against injustice even when it might be uncomfortable. We cannot be silent. 鈥�

In the fall she starts a doctorate in applied developmental psychology at Suffolk University.

Your Commencement speech, 鈥淪tay Strong & Walk Like You Got Some Sense,鈥� was inspired by something your mother, Vinette Gayle, says to you. It was filmed earlier this month to be part of the virtual ceremony on May 31. Where did you film it?

About 10 miles from my house, at Powder House Park in Somerville. It鈥檚 not 乐播传媒, but it resembles 乐播传媒 because of the greenery. My mom was able to be in a little cameo.

Why did you want to give the Senior Address?

Part of it is representation 鈥� it does matter when you see a woman of color, specifically a Black woman, having this honor 鈥� but the other part is that I felt I had a great 乐播传媒 experience in that I was able to build relationships across differences.

I felt it would be doing a disservice if my speech did not mention COVID-19, the elephant in the room. But I wanted to make sure that I am also speaking life and motivation into the Class of 2020. I did not want to use COVID-19 as a sad story. It is just one of the many things that has happened for the class.

How did you choose 乐播传媒, four years ago?

I remember this vividly. It was between 乐播传媒 and another liberal arts college, both of them fit what I needed in terms of a financial aid package. But when I visited 乐播传媒, that was the best college tour I had been on.

The environment was really amazing. The students looked like they loved being there. The other institutions I went to didn鈥檛 feel like that. Dean [James] Reese gave me a hug! I don鈥檛 even know what to call it, there was a family vibe. After the Admitted Students Reception, my mom was like, “Your face. You want to be there.”

And also, I wanted to go to a school where I was going to challenge myself, personally. I applied to some of the historically black colleges and universities, but I wanted to make myself uncomfortable, a little bit. The thing about 乐播传媒 is, no institution gets it right all the time, but at 乐播传媒, they will keep trying and trying until they get it right. 乐播传媒 exceeded all my expectations. 乐播传媒 is a part of the woman I am today.

You鈥檝e been a campus voice around issues of equity and inclusion. How do you approach that work?

I was co-president of Women of Color this year, along with Kati Cabral 鈥�20. We meet new students of color and say, 鈥淲e want you to feel safe on this campus. 乐播传媒 wants you to feel safe on this campus.鈥�

Our goal for Women of Color is to create an inclusive environment, where all women of color are celebrated. In the past it seems it has been mostly for Black women. It needs to be inclusive of other women as well. I think we did a great job of that this year.

We did tabling in Commons, we gave out little stickers, we had the Center for Purposeful Work collaborate with us on bringing in Dr. Monique Brown 鈥�07. She is from the Caribbean and she is an epidemiologist. We had Michelle Pham 鈥�15, who is Asian and works at Google 鈥斅爏he is just dominating tech. We had a great conversation with her.

Amandla! Black Student Union is there to have the conversation and create a fun learning environment. We meet regularly and talk about our experiences, from the uplifting to our difficult experiences on campus, and about mistreatment of Black individuals at 乐播传媒 and all around the world, and healthy ways of dealing with that.

“It is difficult to talk about race especially if you don鈥檛 know all the right words and you don鈥檛 want to offend anybody. I would just try to show them that it is OK to make mistakes.”

If we have a concern, we need to find a healthy way that is safe for us emotionally, and not silencing our voices, to make sure that our voices are being heard. We also have white students who come and listen. We tell them, “You need to be prepared. You may be uncomfortable. These are real experiences that happen.”

We want to make sure that 乐播传媒 has students who love all people. We want the liberation of everybody. We want people to feel OK with being a woman, being a person of color, being queer.

乐播传媒 is one of those institutions that is striving to be more inclusive 鈥� and it has done an incredible job 鈥� but at the same time, there is a lot of work to be done.

Your work extends to other areas, like Admissions, where you started training to give tours during freshman year and ended as a Senior Fellow. What is your role there?

Helping 乐播传媒 reach students of color. Engaging with students and parents who come through the door. There have been a lot of people visiting 乐播传媒. Our applications have gone through the roof.

As a Senior Fellow I do interviews with prospective students and write up reports. An interview does not make or break an application, but does help give a face to this awesome application. To me that makes a difference. What we want at 乐播传媒 are聽individuals who are passionate and curious.

You鈥檝e also worked at the Center for Purposeful Work this year and at the Academic Resource Commons all four years, except when you were studying abroad in Denmark during junior year. How did you get involved in the work of peer tutoring and support?

As a freshman, I took the First-Year Seminar 鈥淩ace, Justice, and American Policy in the 21st Century,鈥� with [Associate Professor of Politics] Leslie Hill. She is a gem.

As a sophomore, I was attached to that class as a tutor. I would attend every class to prompt their thinking if there was a long silence. I was never the first person to raise my hand but I鈥檇 just try to keep that conversation going. To let people know this is a safe space, that this is a hard topic.

It is difficult to talk about race especially if you don鈥檛 know all the right words and you don鈥檛 want to offend anybody. I would just try to show them that it is OK to make mistakes. And not to be defensive.

At ARC we have more than 70 tutors for different content areas. The purpose is to serve students with tutoring and writing and speaking sessions. I also did learning strategies, basically meeting students to help them figure out ways to get better study habits.

I always encourage students to use ARC. When I was a freshman, I was sort of hesitant. We want to make sure that you finish and you succeed. I tell people, if you work hard and use ARC and go to professors鈥� office hours, you will not fail.

At the Center for Purposeful Work, I help create events that will help students find their career path and their interests. I also look over resumes and cover letters and offer feedback to students during drop-in hours. I get to engage with students across all years.

What excites you about your graduate program at Suffolk University?

The focus on activism and social justice. It鈥檚 one thing to conduct research in the comfort of a lab, but when you physically get to engage with communities and learn for yourself in person, it creates something magical. Suffolk will allow me to continue my community partnerships that I have developed over the years.

Suffolk is crafting leaders, just like 乐播传媒. The flexibility of the degree captivated me when I was exploring Suffolk in depth. It is an applied psychology doctorate, which means the expertise I will be engaging in is useful in every context; policy, government, education, and nonprofits.

My advisor is Dr. Mimi Arbeit, who .聽Her research interests are in adolescent sexuality development, the ways in which white supremacist ideologies impact marginalized communities, and exploring right-wing extremism perpetuating rape culture. She is also a brilliant, kind, and committed community organizer, which I also aspire to be.

鈥淓very time I perform, people come up to me, people that I鈥檝e never met, saying, 鈥業 went out feeling uplifted after that.鈥欌��

I am not sure what specific career this degree will lead me to, but I know that it will lead me to a position where I can help change policies, create supportive communities, education and healthcare systems, and educate future students on race and sexuality. There is a system here that has only been working for a certain demographic. It needs to work for everyone.

How did聽your dance major contribute to your thinking?

I have been dancing since I was younger but I never had any formal training. My mother is Jamaican and I learned from her family about Jamaican dance. I鈥檓 also half-Nigerian, but I don鈥檛 have that same relationship with my father, so I had to learn those dances from my peers.

Every time I perform, people come up to me, people that I鈥檝e never met, saying, 鈥淚 went out feeling uplifted after that.鈥� I use art as a form of activism, celebrating women and their bodies, letting people know about being OK with whatever size you are.

But my dance major encompassed much more than a physical practice. Creating a work of art and then having to explain in the words of the theories you were digesting and the influences you were taking in is a complex and intellectual exercise.

“I am going to watch it with my mom.聽It is my day, but it truly is her day too. She came from Jamaica and created a great life for me.”

There is also beauty in focusing on different disciplines 鈥� sometimes you have to be extremely factual and on point, and sometimes you can be intentionally uncertain. In dance you consider yourself, what is going on in the world, race, class, sexuality. I might cast all Black women, and I don鈥檛 owe anyone an explanation for why.

I couldn鈥檛 turn in a paper to my psychology advisor, Professor Amy Douglass, and say,聽“Take this for what it is.” We would both laugh! My work is for my people and it is what it is. There is power in that.

What was a major highlight of your 乐播传媒 experience?

Being on the committee to choose the honorands. That is one experience at 乐播传媒 I will always remember. I鈥檓 a sophomore in the room with all these people with Ph.D.s and medical degrees who are not only asking for my opinion but receiving it. Like, “Alex, why do you think this person is deserving of this?” It was a really nice, positive exchange. I don鈥檛 think I ever felt uncomfortable in that room.

Who are you going to watch Commencement with?

I am going to watch it with my mom.聽It is my day, but it truly is her day too. She came from Jamaica and created a great life for me. I am very taken care of and I thank her. According to her, even at the age where I get married and have children, I will still be her baby!

I might put the cap and gown on. We might order something to eat after. We will celebrate the best way we can. Knowing that this too shall pass.

A 乐播传媒 tradition聽鈥� springtime reunions among the college’s dance alumni 鈥� saw a new chapter this year.

Like so many expressions of dance at 乐播传媒, the reunion tradition was begun by the late Marcy Plavin, the larger-than-life founder of the 乐播传媒 Modern Dance Company and co-founder of the 乐播传媒 Dance Festival.

Plavin died in 2016, at age 84, and this year’s gathering was the first since her passing.

Held April 26 to 28, the 2019 edition drew 70-plus alumni, from classes of the 鈥�70s on up, who returned to mark the 50th anniversary of the dance company鈥檚 first performance under Plavin’s leadership, celebrate dance in their lives today, and look to the promising future of dance at 乐播传媒.

Prior to one of the workshops on Saturday morning, Kathryn Ryan Brigham ’02 (left) greets Lynda Plavin Fitzgerald ’79, daughter of the late Marcy and Leonard Plavin. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

The weekend, produced by Professor of Dance Carol Dilley with skilled help from Hannah Miller ’14, a veteran of prior dance reunions, featured workshops, performances, and discussions, both casual and guided.

Over lunch on Saturday, alumni broke into groups to talk about how dance has infused their lives and work. 鈥淲e鈥檝e never done this before,鈥� said Dilley, who succeeded Plavin in 2003 and led the effort to transform the dance program into an academic major in 2011.

As noon approached, alumni milled around upstairs in Commons, talking quietly while grabbing brunch at the buffet spread. No doubt hungry following the morning鈥檚 alumni-taught dance workshops, the dancers filled their plates and headed into three meeting rooms for discussion sessions sponsored by the Center for Purposeful Work.

Each session had a theme 鈥� dance and activism, bodies at work, and dance as a mindset 鈥� and was moderated by students, who asked the alumni about their work and their lives at 乐播传媒, gleaning advice from their combined years of experiences. Though formal-sounding, the setup created spaces for easy conversation between the current and former students.

On Saturday morning, Michael Foley ’89 led a workshop on dance for the over-40 set in the Marcy Plavin Dance Studios. “One of the big 乐播传媒isms is the intersectionality between all of your interests,鈥� he said. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

In one session, moderators Helen Carr 鈥�21 of Tarrytown, N.Y., and Ellie Friends 鈥�21 of Deerfield, Mass., asked Ya-Ya Fairley 鈥�12, who had just taught a morning workshop on Afro house dance, and Talia Mason 鈥�15 how they鈥檝e been able to use their art as activism.

A double major in dance and anthropology, Fairley, who uses the pronouns 鈥渢hey鈥� and 鈥渢hem,鈥� described setbacks while they earned a master鈥檚 degree in performance from the University of Utah.

鈥淲hatever I did was hyper-politicized because of the space I was in. Just the act of putting my ideas out there is inherently activist 鈥� and putting my black, trans, queer body in those spaces really embodied the act of activism.鈥�

From left, Julie Yeterian 鈥�06, Yasmin “Ya-Ya” Fairley 鈥�12, Meredith Sallee 鈥�07, and Talia Mason 鈥�15 break into laughter during Fairley’s workshop on Afro house dance, held in Chase Hall. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Though facing flak from faculty who disapproved of their student鈥檚 innovative and radical choreography, Fairley said the experience provided 鈥渁 healthy push鈥� for their personal artistry.

Mason, a Phi Beta Kappa double major in dance and French at 乐播传媒, has a post-baccalaureate degree from the Headlong Performance Institute in Philadelphia, teaches dance at a Montessori school, and is a solo performance artist.

Her activism is also intrinsically linked to her study of dance and performance. She is interested in depictions of Judaism in dance and asks questions about how art can confront anti-Semitism in America.

Artemis Preeshl 鈥�84 contributed a dance workshop session on issues related to consent and safe rehearsal and performance spaces. (Samuel Mironko ’21 for 乐播传媒 College)

鈥淢aking work with an activist lens is more daunting in the real world than in college,鈥� acknowledged Mason, who is soon to begin a master of fine arts program in dance at the University of California, Riverside.

In the 鈥淏odies at Work鈥� session, choreographers, teachers, therapists, and producers told moderators Kellie Allen 鈥�21 of Pleasantville, N.Y., and Esme Goldfinger 鈥�21 of Portland, Maine, how 乐播传媒 prepared them for their careers.

鈥淭here is no absolutely no way I would be the writer or researcher I am today if I hadn鈥檛 been at 乐播传媒,鈥� said Artemis Preeshl 鈥�84, a visiting professor at Elon University who has taught acting, movement, and voice on five continents. Preeshl contributed a workshop session on 鈥淢aking a Safe Rehearsal / Performance Space.”

鈥溊植ゴ� gave me a 鈥榝ight tooth and nail鈥� attitude,鈥� said Jonathan Schwolsky 鈥�15, an independent filmmaker, theater director, and photographer. (Samuel Mironko ’21 for 乐播传媒 College)

A double major in theater and rhetoric, Jonathan Schwolsky 鈥�15 completed his theater thesis in the relatively obscure field of experimental comedy. 鈥淭here were enough people here to support me to do that,鈥� he said.

鈥淥ne of the big 乐播传媒isms is the intersectionality between all of your interests,鈥� said Michael Foley 鈥�89, a professor of dance at the University of South Florida and director of the USF Dance in Paris program.

鈥淚 think much of the world is very monolithic,鈥� he said, reflecting on his experiences as a teacher and choreographer (including a whimsically named morning workshop, 鈥淢odern Dance for the 鈥極ver 40s鈥�!!鈥�). 鈥淭here鈥檚 something about the intersectionality of 乐播传媒 that I鈥檓 constantly reflecting on. I鈥檓 trying to incorporate this idea of egalitarianism about how people get a voice into my work.鈥�

During Saturday afternoon’s alumni and student performances, from left, Flannery Black-Ingersoll ’19, Shae Gwydir ’20, and Becca Howard ’19 perform “contact, just go,” a piece they choreographed in their advanced composition class. (Samuel Mironko ’21 for 乐播传媒 College)

As the noon sessions wrapped up, some alumni and students headed to another round of workshops; others mingled at the interactive dance archives exhibit in Gannett Theater that featured vintage costumes and performance programs from decades of 乐播传媒 dance.

With support from the Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, the exhibit was curated by two seniors, Sara Hollenberg, a double major in dance and mathematics from Stamford, Conn., and Rebecca Howard of Aspen, Colo., a double major in art and visual culture and religious studies with a minor in dance.

In Gannett Theater, Sara Hollenberg ’19 of Stamford, Conn., and Rebecca Howard ’19 of Aspen, Colo., pose among items that they curated for an interactive dance archives exhibition. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

The project left Howard impressed by “both the depth and the breadth of what the 乐播传媒 dance program has been.” It was also another way to honor Plavin: “a way to weave her memory in, in a permanent sense. And reminding people of that.”

“Then you add to that with all these other alums who have shared the same awesome experience.”

For Hollenberg, the exhibit spoke to the many and surprising ways that alumni find ways to connect across the years. She pointed to a pair of costume pants. “They’re so popular 鈥� somebody wears them every year in a concert. Alumni come in here and bond and are like, ‘I wore the pants!’

“You have a community that is your class and the classes around you. Then you add to that with all these other alums who have shared the same awesome experience.”

One Saturday afternoon performance was Passing, a piece choreographed as a tribute to Marcy Plavin鈥檚 life and legacy. (Samuel Mironko ’21 for 乐播传媒 College)

Later, they came together to watch each other perform in Schaeffer Theatre. Bonding over cups of chai, the dancers took their seats to watch new work choreographed by students and alumni alike.

Shae Gwydir 鈥�20, Howard, and Flannery Black-Ingersoll 鈥�19 performed 鈥淐ontact Disco,鈥� a piece they created for their advanced composition class. Using three stools as props, the dancers combined intricate modern technique with theatrical facial expressions to make movement that was both succinct and sporadically comedic.

Presenting an improvisatory piece during Saturday afternoon’s performances, Ya-Ya Fairley ’12 used a ghostlight as a prop in the center of the stage, dancing in the small spot of light it cast. (Samuel Mironko ’21 for 乐播传媒 College)

The alumni pieces included improvisatory choreography by Mason and Fairley. The latter used a ghostlight as a prop in the center of the stage, dancing in the small spot of light it cast. Mason, prompted by Marie Kondo鈥檚 idea of 鈥渟parking joy,鈥� strategically placed old childhood belongings that gave her joy on the stage, dancing around and with them.

鈥淲e continue to make beautiful pieces on this stage.鈥�

The performances concluded on a poignant note with Passing, a piece choreographed as a tribute to Plavin鈥檚 life and legacy by Dilley and former 乐播传媒 faculty member Rachel Boggia. Seventeen 乐播传媒 dancers moved to music composed by Plavin鈥檚 longtime friend and partner in work, Bill Matthews, Alice Swanson Esty Professor of Music.

Passing celebrated the continuum of 乐播传媒 dance. 鈥淲e continue to make beautiful pieces on this stage,鈥� said Dilley. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the standard that Marcy set.鈥�

A longtime composer for 乐播传媒 dance, Alice Swanson Esty Professor of Music Bill Matthews (left) is shown with Carol Dilley prior to the April 27 performance of Passing, presented in memory of Marcy Plavin.
(Samuel Mironko ’21 for 乐播传媒 College)

鈥淣o apology, no surrender,鈥� Nora Chipaumire tells a 乐播传媒 dance class. 鈥淗owever your day went today, it has now become brilliant.鈥�

No apology, no surrender: Chipaumire returns to those words more than once in the late-afternoon session of an advanced technique course that she鈥檚 teaching as a guest artist. It鈥檚 not mere sloganizing. Instead, like the work that she makes and performs, Chipaumire鈥檚 teaching fuses the personal and political aspects of a life shaped by growing up in Zimbabwe.

Politically and economically, Chipaumire’s native country is still grappling with the legacy of colonization, as are so many others (even this one). 鈥淚鈥檓 very interested in this collusion of Europe and Africa,鈥� she told an interviewer before the dance class.

鈥淚n my work, this collusion returns again and again, constantly trying to unpack this crucial historical moment, I think, for the entire world. What happened there has repercussions, I believe, for everyone.鈥�

Nora Chipaumire conducts class on the Schaeffer Theatre stage. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

In fact, Chipaumire鈥檚 乐播传媒 residency comes just weeks after the premiere, in October at New York City鈥檚 Kitchen, of based on her formative years in Zimbabwe.

And now it鈥檚 a Wednesday in November at Lewiston鈥檚 乐播传媒 College, and Chipaumire is facing 25 or so students in the Plavin Dance Studio. They鈥檒l work till around six o鈥檆lock, at which point Chipaumire and a handful of students will segue into a rehearsal for a piece she is setting on the students.

Chipaumire is the fourth and final resident artist this fall to create a piece students will perform in the (named, like the studio, for the founder of 乐播传媒鈥� dance program).

The goal of having resident guest artists in the dance program is to complement faculty teaching with a variety of perspectives, ideas, and teaching styles. But even amongst that variety, Chipaumire stands apart.

Chipaumire observes dancers during a rehearsal. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Based in New York City, she started making dances in 1998. Her work is grounded in personal history and the culture of the Shona, Zimbabwe鈥檚 majority indigenous people. More generally she explores stereotypes of Africa and the black performing body, art, and aesthetics.

鈥淪he has challenged all of us, students and faculty, to probe Western constructs that affect our experiences of our bodies and motion,鈥� says Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Julie Fox, who has hosted Chipaumire and the other resident artists in the Repertory Styles technique course.

Chipaumire began her yearlong affiliation with the college during last summer鈥檚 乐播传媒 Dance Festival, where she presented 鈥渁 portrait of myself as my father鈥� 鈥� a piece that uses boxing as a means of exploring family, masculinity, and fatherhood. (Her own father left when she was an infant.)

An intriguing aspect of Chipaumire鈥檚 practice is its emphasis on the individual, says a student in the technique course, dance and psychology major Alexandria Onuoha 鈥�20 of Malden, Mass. Even in ensemble passages, 鈥渟he doesn鈥檛 want us looking at each other. She wants us to do the journey together, but it鈥檚 okay if someone is ahead or is in a different space than the group because you’re an individual at the same time.鈥�

Chipaumire consults with Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Julie Fox. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

During one session, an undulation movement was frustrating some students, recalls Shae Gwydir 鈥�20, a dance major from Port Jefferson, N.Y.

Chipaumire鈥檚 guidance typified her approach to her medium. 鈥淵ou have to be true to yourself and move how you 鈥榟ear鈥� your body telling you to move,鈥� says Gwydir, 鈥渘ot how you believe your body should move based on someone else鈥檚 directions and examples.鈥�

The piece Chipaumire has developed with the 乐播传媒 students is based 鈥渙n a figure called Nehanda, who, you could say, was a Zimbabwean Joan of Arc,鈥� Chipaumire explained earlier in the day. Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana was a 19th-century spirit medium of the Shona people who helped inspire a popular revolt against British colonial occupation.

鈥淣ehanda calls into the room questions about legality between settler regimes and native persons, questions about lynching, mob violence. And also other issues such as animistic belief systems in which a spirit returns again and again in different epochs.鈥�

The piece Chipaumire has developed with the 乐播传媒 students is based 鈥渙n a figure called Nehanda, who, you could say, was a Zimbabwean Joan of Arc.” (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

She says, 鈥淚 try to go with the spirit of what is calling me, what is urgent for me, what do I need to understand better personally. And then that leads me into wormholes of research and discovery鈥� 鈥� often involving intense consultation with Shona cultural leaders in Zimbabwe 鈥� 鈥渟o that鈥檚 also what I am bringing to the students.鈥�

Back in the Plavin Studio, Chipaumire is wearing a down vest over a loose, layered black outfit. From the initial warm-ups to high energy across-the-floor work that ends the session, the class has a definite arc, almost a narrative flow.

After the warmup, she and research assistant Shamar Watt lead the students through a series of moves that are cumulative in both complexity and intensity. Chipaumire watches the class closely as she leads, and issues guidance that鈥檚 sometimes sharp but not mean. In fact, her warmth is infectious. 鈥淪miling is a good idea,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hink of your entire body as a smile.鈥�

She always seems to be enjoying a secret joke. Sometimes she shares it. Describing a quality of corporeal suppleness and resilience, a tongue-in-cheek Chipaumire looks to the Star Trek and Star Wars glossaries. 鈥淎 reed knows resistance is futile,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t is better to bend with the Force.鈥�

Chipaumire and her research assistant Shamar Watt (right) move with dancers during class. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Given her wit, Chipaumire鈥檚 more earnest or spiritual moments, or those that touch traditions that an observer doesn鈥檛 understand, first come as a surprise. A recurring theme in the class session was the space around the students and how they should make it theirs.

鈥淵ou are listening and inscribing your beingness into space,鈥� she says. Reach up for the celestial space. Reach down for the ancestral space in the ground. 鈥淕et low, acknowledge the space that holds the ancestors.鈥�

Chipaumire is clear that she is not representing Western dance traditions. 鈥淒on鈥檛 try the balletic gestures,鈥� she says at one point. 鈥淒on鈥檛 give me the four o’clock tea fingers,鈥� the extended pinky and ring finger.

At one point in the class, demonstrating into a posture of the spine and hips that she wants the students to use, she circulates among them and refers to the 鈥渟wag-UH.鈥� The swagger 鈥渋s about defiance.鈥�

Chipaumire models movements of strength and defiance in her dance. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

It鈥檚 about 鈥渨hat ails the black body in the world.鈥� It鈥檚 about “the fullest presence without an apology. It allows one to walk on the street like this,鈥� she says, striding with a fluid roll that says 鈥淚 dare you鈥� and a stare into the distance that says 鈥淪ee if I care.鈥�

鈥淲e are talking,鈥� she says at another point, 鈥渁bout life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.鈥�

Marcy Plavin, who won a devoted following of friends as she built 乐播传媒’ academic dance program, often said that 鈥渕odern dance is many points of view.鈥�

From the very beginning of her work at 乐播传媒, in the 1960s, 鈥淢arcy never felt that dance students should only get her perspective or the perspective of any single faculty member,” says Rachel Boggia, associate professor of dance. 鈥淪o we believe that exposing students to a lot of different artistic perspectives is important for them to understand the field.鈥�

A pause for reflection: Students appear in a mirrored wall at the Marcy Plavin Dance Studio. The dancers are rehearsing the dance Passing, celebrating the life and works of dance program founder Plavin. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)

Which makes it only fitting that the college has chosen to commemorate Plavin, who died in November 2016, by renaming, in perpetuity, its annual Fall Dance Concert after her. Known henceforth as the Marcy Plavin Fall Dance Concert, this event has always featured work by visiting dance artists.

鈥淲e choose them to bring diverse points of view about contemporary dance,鈥� says Boggia, 鈥渟o we felt that this concert really represents Marcy鈥檚 legacy in terms of the philosophy of the 乐播传媒 dance program.鈥�

This year’s program, in in Schaeffer Theatre, incorporates work by recent visitors including Marlies Yearby, Vanessa Justice, and the late Trisha Brown, taught to the 乐播传媒 company by Trisha Brown Dance Company member Samuel Wentz.

The Plavin concert also features thesis work by a senior, as well as Passing, a tribute to Plavin by Boggia, dance professor Carol Dilley, and composer William Matthews, Alice Swanson Esty Professor of Music.

Marcy and Leonard Plavin pose for a portrait at their Mountain Avenue home in 1999. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

A genuine 乐播传媒 legend, Plavin brought heart and mind to building dance at the college. Her dedication to dance 鈥� and to her students, many of whom remained close friends long after graduation 鈥� was fierce, deep, and irresistible.

Marcy Plavin was predeceased, in 2010, by her husband, Leonard, an avid photographer of 乐播传媒 dance. The couple’s children 鈥渨anted 乐播传媒 to do something to honor Marcy,鈥� says one of those children, David Plavin 鈥�77.

It was Boggia who 鈥渟uggested renaming the fall concert, and I thought it was a great idea,鈥� says Plavin, whose siblings are Stephen Plavin and Lynda Plavin Fitzgerald 鈥�79.

Previewed in September as a work in progress, Passing will be a fully realized premiere for the December performances. Dilley, who succeeded Plavin as head of 乐播传媒鈥� dance program and is on leave this year, returned to campus to collaborate with Boggia in creating the choreography for the 26 student dancers.

Dance professor Rachel Boggia. (Mike Bradley/乐播传媒 College)

Matthews鈥� participation is striking in part, says Boggia, 鈥渂ecause he did so many collaborations with Marcy over the years and was a big part of the dance program. For him to be accompanying this homage to her feels really right.鈥�

As for the guest artists represented on the program, Yearby is known for her choreographic contributions to the Broadway hit Rent. At 乐播传媒, she worked with students on a piece reflecting concerns about genetically modified foods.

The work has a score by keyboardist Divyamaan Sahoo 鈥�17, who will perform the music live for the Plavin performances. A double major in math and music from India, Sahoo has stayed on at 乐播传媒 to work with the dance program as a guest composer and dance accompanist.

Justice鈥檚 piece on the Plavin program pays homage to the so-called analytic post-modern choreographers. Working in the 1970s, these dance artists minimized considerations of rhythm, musicality, and drama to achieve the purest possible focus on movement. Justice鈥檚 piece, set to music excerpted from Philip Glass鈥� Einstein on the Beach, 鈥渋s hypnotic, interesting work,鈥� says Boggia.

Justice has also worked with 乐播传媒 dancers on the Alexander Technique, an approach to movement that enhances mindfulness and aims to resolve physical tensions and inefficiencies. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance for our students to understand the kind of subtle training that supports a long life in dance,” says Boggia.

鈥淭his concert really represents Marcie鈥檚 legacy.鈥�

The third visiting artist, Wentz, has taught the 乐播传媒 dancers 鈥� or set on them, as dance artists say 鈥� Son of Gone Fishin鈥� Restaging Project, based on the original Son of Gone Fishin鈥�, choreographed by Trisha Brown and premiered in the early 1980s. Wentz is a former member of Brown’s company who is now with Backhausdance, in California.

Offering senior thesis work is Riley Hopkins of Augusta, Maine. Presenting an excerpt from another Brown piece, For锚t Foray, Hopkins is 乐播传媒鈥� first dance major to undertake a thesis in performance, rather than choreography. (Performances of the complete For锚t Foray, Boggia notes, usually include a marching band playing outside the performance space. For his four-and-a-half-minute excerpt, Hopkins will use a recording.)

The student performers 鈥� and, of course, their audiences 鈥� will experience not only aesthetic but historical diversity in the inaugural Marcy Plavin Fall Dance Concerts, Boggia points out. Alongside the new work on the program, Justice鈥檚 work looks back to the 1970s, and the Trisha Brown pieces are from the 1980s and 鈥�90s (Yearby’s work on Rent also dates to the 1990s).

鈥淪o, in some ways, all of these pieces are giving the students a sense of recent dance history from an experiential perspective.鈥�

Holding the microphone, Marcy Plavin acknowledges applause following a performance that concluded a three-day 乐播传媒 dancers鈥� reunion in 2015. Next to Plavin is daughter Lynda Plavin Fitzgerald ’79, at right, and dance professor Carol Dilley. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

On a Tuesday night in the Marcy Plavin Dance Studio, students sweat as they study.

In anticipation of its , the 乐播传媒 Dance Company has stepped up its rehearsals to perform a piece titled Passing. It鈥檚 a work in progress by Rachel Boggia and Carol Dilley to celebrate the life and works of Marcy Plavin.

Esme Goldfinger '21 of Lexington, Mass., reacts to an embrace from Associate Professor of Dance Rachel Boggia during an evening rehearsal in the Marcy Plavin Dance Studios. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)

Boggia scrutinizes her students' work as they learn a piece titled "Passing."(Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)

Sofia Elbadawi '18 of Fayetteville, N.Y., and Goldfinger grip hands. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)

Ellie Madwed '20 of Seattle, Emma Zulch '18 of Sherrill, N.Y., and Goldfinger react to directions. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)

A digital approach to learning dance. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)

鈥淏ack to 乐播传媒 is a real celebration of what 乐播传媒 embodies,鈥� says Rachel Boggia, associate professor of dance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the few performances during the year that the whole dance community comes together and is in the same space at the same time.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of time, effort, and focus for all the dancers and choreographers to cram into one two-week session,鈥� says Danielle Ward 鈥�20 of Atlantic Highlands, N.J. 鈥淚 think it takes cooperation from the whole group to be able to pull it off so quickly. So, it鈥檚 a lot of hard work but it pays off.鈥�

鈥淪ome of my best friends I鈥檝e found right here in the dance department,鈥� says Sofia Elbadawi 鈥�18 of Fayetteville, N.Y. 鈥淲hen I danced all through high school, middle school, and elementary school it was more about competition, and being better than the group. 乐播传媒 has really had an emphasis on creating community.鈥�

鈥淲e have dinner together after class every day,鈥� says Esme Goldfinger 鈥�21 of Lexington, Mass. 鈥淚鈥檓 slowly getting to know everyone and kind of becoming part of this community, which is great because not a lot of classes have that.鈥�

鈥淚 started my first year with two dance classes and I fell in love with it,鈥� says Christopher 鈥淭ofur鈥� Castaneda 鈥�20 of Los Angeles. 鈥淚 just found that the dance program allows me to kind of step back from all the hectic-ness of my STEM career here and really try to go after something that is a whole lot less stressful to me and a lot more about pushing yourself.鈥�

Photographed at her current workplace, the Chicago Cultural Center, Shoshona Currier succeeds Laura Faure as the director of the 乐播传媒 Dance Festival. (Mark Hackman)

Shoshona Currier, director of performing arts for the city of Chicago, has been appointed as the next director of the 乐播传媒 Dance Festival, an internationally renowned teaching and performance series held every summer at 乐播传媒 College.

A Maine native with more than 15 years of experience in arts curation, education, and administration, Currier succeeds Laura Faure, who retires Nov. 30 after 30 seasons with the festival.

“乐播传媒 is thrilled to welcome Shoshona Currier as the new director of the ,” says Matt Auer, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at 乐播传媒. “Shoni鈥檚 credentials as a curator, presenter, and community-builder are outstanding. And her multimedia performing-arts expertise promises to keep the festival moving in new and exciting directions.”

As performing arts director with , Currier has developed the aesthetic vision for all civic theater and dance offerings, and has directly programmed city-run venues such as the Chicago Cultural Center and Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Her purview has encompassed curatorial and managerial direction, as well as the administration and development of a $1 million budget.

“I’m extremely pleased to be passing the festival baton to Shoni Currier this fall,” says Faure. “Shoni has a truly impressive track record of achievement in the performing arts.”

“Joining the 乐播传媒 Dance Festival is a really thrilling opportunity,” says Currier, who worked as a producer and artistic director in New York and elsewhere before taking the Chicago position in 2012.

“I鈥檓 excited about taking everything that I鈥檝e learned and bringing it to such a prestigious and well-respected program, as well as returning to a state that I love so much.”

“I’m extremely pleased to be passing the festival baton to Shoni Currier this fall,” says Faure. “Shoni has a truly impressive track record of achievement in the performing arts. She brings a wealth of experience, passion, and commitment to this new role, and I’m confident she’ll lead the festival to even greater heights in the years to come.”

“I look forward to working with Shoni to hand over leadership through a thoughtful, collaborative process that will insure a successful transition and bright future for the festival.”

Currier is taking charge of one of the so-called Big Three of American dance festivals, along with Jacob’s Pillow and the American Dance Festival. Last summer, the six-week 乐播传媒 festival welcomed 270 students and 93 faculty, performers, and visiting artists, and presented nine mainstage performances that included such dance luminaries as Michelle Dorrance and Doug Varone. The festival presents its 35th season in 2017.

Currier’s tenure in Chicago started out with a large-scale strategic planning process, as she oversaw a fundamental reorganization of multiple dance, theater, and music programs. In reimagining the municipal performing arts division, she enlisted a new creative team and established best practices and processes for the division.

Currier has developed critically acclaimed civic performance series including SpinOff, focusing on contemporary dance by Midwestern artists, and the boundary-pushing OnEdge program. She has strived to bring large-scale public performance works to under-resourced parts of Chicago, aiming to ensure “that arts are relevant and accessible to many communities,” she says.

Riley Watts is one of the artists featured July 28-29 in gala performances marking the 乐播传媒 Dance Festival’s 35th anniversary season. (Susan Beard)

Among other accomplishments, she curated 10 ARTventure tours for the 2015 Americans for the Arts Convention, held in Chicago for the first time. Itineraries included a graffiti tour and a dance tour featuring the Joffrey Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance.

Outside of DCASE, Currier has served as a producing consultant for STAGE Lab, a program for STEM-inspired theater projects in the Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago. As a member of the Chicago Dance Makers Forum, a grantmaking consortium, Currier has worked closely with local dance artists.

She was born in Fort Kent, Maine, and grew up in the southern Maine town of Windham. Before taking the Chicago directorship, she held creative and administrative positions at Dance New Amsterdam, Performance Space 122, and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, all in New York City; and the Fusebox Festival, in Austin, Texas.

She was a member of the inaugural class at Wesleyan University’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance, and also studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and at the New School, where she earned a bachelor of science degree.

Another highlight of the festival’s 35th season is “Mill Town”: Choreographed by Stephan Koplowitz, this immersive performance event features 50 dancers with live music, video and installations in and around the 乐播传媒 Mill Complex.

Laura Faure was a dancer, teacher, and arts administrator 鈥� in addition to farming for 10 years 鈥� when she began her tenure as 乐播传媒 Dance Festival director in 1987, following Elizabeth Zimmer, Andrea Stark, and co-directors Frank Wicks and Marcy Plavin. Plavin, who originated the 乐播传媒 College dance program, founded the festival.

“One of the parts of my job that I love the most is my close relationship with artists, my ability to help artists do their work,” Faure said in a 2012 interview. “I feel like I am very much a curator and creator in some way and that the festival is my choreography.”

Under Faure鈥檚 leadership, the 乐播传媒 Dance Festival has evolved into a leading center for contemporary dance nationally and internationally. Her support, both material and moral, has enabled some of the nation鈥檚 most-respected choreographers to create groundbreaking work at the festival.

Taking place July 7鈥揂ug. 5, the festival’s 35th season is something special.

In turn, many of those same artists have returned during the academic year to perform and work with 乐播传媒 students. Bebe Miller, Doug Varone, and David Dorfman are a few of the choreographers and company leaders who have returned repeatedly to the festival over the decades to teach, perform, and develop new work.

Taking place July 7鈥揂ug. 5, the s something special, Faure points out. “It has been designed to celebrate the vibrancy of contemporary dance, to pay tribute to some of the exceptional artists who have contributed to the BDF legacy, and to highlight the importance of building community through the arts.”

This summer’s festival will showcase new and signature works by David Dorfman, Doug Varone, Bebe Miller, Larry Keigwin, Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig, among many others. Faure’s final 乐播传媒 Dance Festival as director will conclude on a high and historic note with “Mill Town,” a site-specific performance designed by Stephan Koplowitz and taking place at the historic 乐播传媒 Mill Complex.

On Thursday evening in the Black Box Theater, at the end of the labyrinth of hallways underneath Schaeffer Theatre, Laura Pietropaoli 鈥�17 was running the last rehearsal for her dance thesis.

The space is intimate, but does pose challenges. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a black box. And we wanted to find a way to soften it,鈥� Pietropaoli explained. To accomplish this, a dozen or so quilts and blankets are spread across the space. She continued, 鈥淚t helps the dancers get a lot more comfortable.鈥�

In her choreography, 鈥淚 wanted to explore what I learned from being at 乐播传媒 as an academic and as a person,鈥� said Pietropaoli, a dance and rhetoric double major from Yarmouth, Maine. 鈥淚 wanted to make something that took into account everything that I鈥檝e learned as a dance student and made it into something that can reach anyone.鈥�

Blankets and quilts are spread across the Black Box space.

The ensemble watches a clip from John Ford's My Darling Clementine, an influence on Pietropaoli's work.

Assistant Professor of Dance Rachel Boggia offers Pietropaoli her thoughts and critiques during a break.

Pietropaoli coaches Ellie Madwed '20 of Seattle, Wash., and Alex Eaton '17 of Lake Oswego, Ore.

Laura Pietropaoli '17 of Yarmouth, Maine, runs the final rehearsal of her dance thesis.

The piece, titled 鈥淓njoy Your Stay,鈥� is performed by a six-person ensemble, interspersing short dance pieces with abstract skits, akin to sketch comedy.

Pietropaoli is also writing a research paper as a thesis component, focusing on artistic ensembles that blur the lines of social relationships and art making practice. As her faculty advisor Rachel Boggia observed, 鈥淭here鈥檚 this interesting line that they鈥檙e always crossing between being performers and being themselves with each other in the piece, and I think that鈥檚 coming through really beautifully.鈥�

The ensemble also benefits from the thesis process. As Boggia explains, 鈥淓very thesis is not just a learning opportunity for the thesis student. The cast is also learning. We have future dance majors in this cast, so hopefully they鈥檙e learning about choreography, about performance, and about the technical aspects.鈥�

Pietropaoli has come to appreciate the demands of choreography. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot about how to direct my cast and advance my artistic vision,鈥� she said.

This vision is guided carefully by Boggia, who does not insert herself too much creatively. Recalling how Pietropaoli pushed back on some criticism, Boggia was proud. 鈥淭o me that means she鈥檚 really her own artist and she鈥檚 seeing me as her adviser. And that was a nice moment.鈥�

鈥淓njoy Your Stay鈥� opens tonight at 7:30, with additional shows throughout the weekend.

As a dense fog drifted through campus Wednesday night, members of the 乐播传媒 Ballroom Society glided across the hardwood floors of Muskie Archives.

Practice began with the fast-paced and intricate Viennese waltz. Precision is key, as one wrong step can lead to a collision. 鈥淏allroom, believe it or not, is a contact sport,鈥� says lead instructor John Blanchette 鈥�87. 鈥淚t鈥檚 physically demanding. When you finish with a Viennese waltz, I don鈥檛 care what kind of shape you鈥檙e in 鈥� you鈥檙e huffing and puffing.鈥�

Christina Lang '18 of Novato, Calif., dances with Erin Fuller '18 of Reno, Nev.

Lead instructor John Blanchette '87 demonstrates with guest instructor Kayla Larrivee.

Lead instructor John Blanchette '87 reviews proper technique.

Ballroom Society rehearsals feature a mix of casual and formal.

Co-president Sara Hoye '17 of Sturbridge, Mass., practices with guest instructor Nathan Leonard.

Many of the current BBS members started by taking a physical education course in ballroom. There, students get an introduction to the different dance styles. BBS co-president Sara Hoye 鈥�17 of Sturbridge, Mass., describes that course as getting students to the point of 鈥渄oing this at a wedding and you won鈥檛 look stupid.鈥� If they show more interest, they move on to Ballroom Society.

Members are encouraged to attend competitions taking place throughout the year, where couples are judged in short dance numbers of differing styles.

Hoye has been dancing since age 5, though before joining BBS last year she had no ballroom experience. As Blanchette and guest instructors introduce new movements, she knows that success will not come immediately. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l understand it intellectually, but making your body do those moves is sometimes just really hard,鈥� Hoye said. 鈥淭he moment you accomplish it is a really big thing.鈥�

Blanchette, an accomplished ballroom dancer and performer, has been the lead instructor since the 2012-13 academic year. 鈥淭here will never be a building named after me,鈥� he joked, 鈥渂ut I can bring something back to my alma mater.鈥�

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAWr_1pneVk

Some creative ideas hatched in the classroom have a fleeting life. Others live long after graduation, becoming dissertations, books, or, in the case of Katie Ailes ’14, a film version of the piece “Polos” that she created in a 乐播传媒 dance composition course.

At 乐播传媒, Ailes transformed an oft-told story about her childhood dance teacher into a poem and dance. And now she’s used film to give the story even more life.

Ailes, who was prized at 乐播传媒 for her performances as both dancer and poet, combines both media in “Polos.” Undertaken for a course taught by Rachel Boggia, the piece started as “a poem for my high school dance teacher, who clearly struggled with body image issues,” .

“And it was about how we as young dancers inherited some of these聽problems through her teaching, even though she did not mean to pass them on.”

Bringing two art forms “into conversation with each other.”

Ailes, who majored in English and dance at 乐播传媒, discovered Scotland during a 2012 study-abroad experience. She moved to Glasgow after graduation, supported by a Fulbright research award she received at 乐播传媒, to embark on her path to a doctorate in English at the University of Strathclyde.

In 2014, Katie Ailes ’14 performs “Homing” on the Schaeffer Theatre stage, a work she choreographed for her senior thesis in dance. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

At 乐播传媒, Boggia encouraged Ailes to take the unconventional choreographic approach of starting with text. “I found that writing poetry about the experience allowed me to be more exacting about it,” Ailes writes.

“But since the story was about bodies” 鈥� and the goal was to make a piece for the composition course 鈥� “I decided to play around with performing the poem while dancing, to directly bring these two art forms into conversation with each other.”

Ailes has performed “Polos” without text or without dance, as well as in combination, and the new video takes yet a different approach.

Having performed with the spoken-word ensemble Loud Poets,聽 she tapped ensemble videographer Perry Jonsson to collaborate with her on the video.

The pair integrated some of Ailes’ existing choreography for “Polos” with both new blocking and improvisation. “This story is one I’ve been telling for a long time through various mediums, and I wanted to bring some of them together through filmmaking to really give the story life,” says Ailes.

“Since the poem is about dancing, about bodies, using film allowed us to capture some of that energy, some of the tactile sense of the piece that gets lost simply by relating the text of the poem.”