The Hamline Dance Ensemble is a part of the Performance, Production & Community (PPC) department that has worked hard to learn, choreograph and perform all sorts of dances, including modern, contemporary, Afrofusion and hip-hop. As Hamline does not have a Dance major, and the ensemble is open to all those interested, the ensemble’s dancers come from a highly diverse variety of backgrounds.
“Dance ensemble is unique in that I think it’s a group of dancers who have varying degrees of experience and varying degrees of like, type of dance that they’re interested in, so we can kind of create this really cool mix of movement,” senior Eden Fahy said.
Dance Ensemble has been navigating multiple changes, such as decreased participation and less funding, in a post-pandemic world where the performing arts have taken a hit. Senior Emily Larson, who has been dancing since the age of two, is not too concerned with this.
“A lot of times, dance is normally underfunded, so I think that as dancers, we’re just very used to creating with what we have and persevering through and like, kind of looking at the brighter side of things,” Larson said.
One new change that has been welcomed by students is the introduction of the new dance professor, Alanna Morris, who has a BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School and has previous experience in teaching dance at Carleton College, Bard College, Circus Juventas and the Cowles Center for Dance.
“Alanna has really stepped up to the plate and when she first joined us she shared with us that this was something she had been looking for: an opportunity that she had been looking for to lead her own kind of ensemble in an educational space, and you can tell because she is so just like, driven and passionate and also an incredible instructor,” Fahy said.
First-year Liam Schrom described feeling seen by Morris.
“When she looks in your eyes, she really sees you. She’s not just looking at your face, and I feel that’s really important in humanity and teachers,” Schrom said.
Dance is important for many reasons. Larson described it as having to be present.
“You have to be present with everyone in order to be doing everything correctly and I think for students, a lot of times, that is really hard to come by, especially while being active, because you can go to the gym. You can go for a walk. You can go do all these other things, but at the end of the day, at least I find myself at the end of the day, still looking at my phone,” Larson said.
Dance can also be a deeply personal form of self-expression. Fahy choreographed a piece called “Grief/5 Stages”, set to “Ghost” by Indigo de Souza and “Motion Picture Soundtrack” by Radiohead. The piece is about the death of their grandfather and how it affected them.
“It’s been a hot minute since he passed away, like five, six years, but your body still holds onto those things, you know, and I think that what dance is is a way to listen to what your body is holding on to,” Fahy said.
Dance is also simply something that is fun.
“I truly everyday, I feel like I’m dancing. I don’t know how to explain that really. Not even in a performative way — I listen to a song, or even in class, I’m really bored and in my head and Lady Gaga is playing, I’m literally dancing to Bad Romance — but not actually,” Schrom said.
Those in the Dance Ensemble describe it as a community. Schrom said the word “community” never meant much to him before.
“One huge takeaway I’ve had so far and that I’ve never experienced anywhere else is like, community,” Schrom said.
Dance Ensemble’s upcoming show, “Returning Home”, with works choreographed by Morris, guest artist Vie Boheme and students, opens on Friday, May 9 and closes on Saturday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be bought here or at the Anne Simley Theatre Box Office day of. Tickets are $5 for Hamline students, staff and faculty or $10 for general admission.
As they are about to graduate, both Fahy and Larson have many hopes for the future of the Hamline Dance Ensemble.
“I really am hopeful for the program and I hope that the people who we are, that us seniors are leaving behind, can continue to foster and support this like, incredibly empathetic and caring space for movement and also like a curiosity. I hope that more people show up and see what it’s about,” Fahy said.
Larson hopes that future dancers keep the current momentum of the group going.
“The people in the ensemble are always gonna change every four years, y’know. I just hope that the collective energy of the dance ensemble, if it were personified, you know, keeps that energy and that it keeps on bringing people in and giving them a space to feel welcome and feel present with everyone in the group,” Larson said.
