Photo courtesy of Hailey Lowenthal ’25
In four performances from April 20th to 22nd, the Dance Department celebrated and sent off the largest known class of Dance majors that Connecticut College has ever seen. Culminating after months of countless rehearsals,feedback sessions, and meetings for lighting and tech, the Capstone shows were made up of the tireless work of sixteen seniors as well as pieces by two Department faculty members, Professors Shani Collins and Heidi Henderson, and three guest artists, Bebe Miller, Lily Gelfond, and Shakia “The Key” Marron. Professor Shawn Hove and his production class along with Yale lighting designers Kyle Stamm, Theo Sung, and Ankit Pandey brought the performances to life with dynamic lighting designs.
It is no small feat to emulate the singularity of sixteen dancers in such a compact amount of time. In her opening remarks, Department Chair Rachel Boggia praised the work of the 108 people that it took to put on the final shows. It soon became clear why.
Attendees were absolutely unprepared for the cerebral rollercoaster laid out for them. Each piece opened up a snatch of someone else’s world, curated carefully and sensually by choreographers. Movement, light, bodies, sound – each moving part of a piece formed individualized relationships as the shows continued. Dancers were made to melt together or be wrenched apart, thrown into sharp relief or given the cover of darkness, moved to the low bass of West African music or gyrating electric guitar. Feet were stomped, hands clapped until sore, and throats were made raw from cheering.
For many seniors, the show was an opportunity to celebrate their identities visually and sonically. Yeseri Rose Vizcaino’s piece Bienvenidos A Nuestra Quisqueya! utilized elements of Dominican celebration and merged them with Caribbean and West African cultures of celebration in the form of costumes, audience participation, and clapping. Described eloquently in the program, she details this mixing of cultures as “the footprints of the African Diaspora left behind by our ancestors so that one day we may return home.”
Our own Editor-in-Chief Catja Christensen also incorporated her identity as a crucial part of her piece Hay Naku! by employing the traditional Filipino tinikling dance which her mother had learned in her birthplace of Baguio.
The Dance Department has long been a cornerstone of Connecticut College’s appeal, thanks in large part to an impassioned and kinetic community that manages to foster both creative individuality and mutual support. As one Dance major, Susanna Procrario-Foley put it, “The Dance Department has been my home at this college for the past four years.”
Among the Department members is Professor David Dorfman, recipient of a master’s degree in fine arts from Conn in 1981 and whose renowned company, David Dorfman Dance was granted a permanent residency at the college in 2007, was heartened by the astronomical success of the most recent shows.
“My humble opinion on this recent, spectacular Senior Capstone Concert revolves around the growth that I observed/experienced within the senior major class. I’ve known them since their first year at Conn and to see them work individually and together with such confidence, ferocity, care and vulnerability was extremely moving,” said Dorfman. “That combined with the fact that this was the largest senior major class we’ve ever had, and I believe the largest and most talented cast and crew, and the most diverse, accessible and powerful performance on multiple levels – congrats and deep appreciation to all!”
For many, dance has been a lifelong partner and friend. Catja Christensen ‘23 spoke with reverence about her relationship with movement, which began at the incredibly young age of two.
“Dance is an interesting artistic discipline to study because your body is the subject,” said Christensen. “Of course, you move with other people and with your surroundings, but not a day goes by that you are not analyzing, philosophizing, and experimenting with your physical and spiritual capabilities. I learned how to have more agency over my body and what I do. I learned that if I really take care and nurture my body and mind, I am capable of things that I never thought possible. That’s empowering. With the right environment and the right people surrounding you, you can be happier, healthier, stronger, and more confident. Dance is a lifelong rollercoaster of highs and lows, but I have no regrets because I learn more about myself and the world with every movement.”
It is a difficult job to package the shows in this article without satiating the urge to give each piece several paragraphs and a sub-header. It is not easy to recreate something in words that is much more beautiful said onstage in movement. To put it simply: it has been the sincere privilege of a lifetime to see this class of dancers grow both personally and creatively.
Congratulations to the Dance Department for celebrating a continuing legacy of mesmeric, deeply special art, and to the Senior Dance majors for four years of hard work and dedication into producing that art – you have made something magnificent.
