Correction Appended
This year's Dartmouth Dance Ensemble's performance, "Viscera Echoes of War," is an exciting venture: a multimedia collaboration in which Dartmouth faculty and students reflect on the topic of war through choreography, theater, stage design and the digital arts. Using historical records like soldiers' letters and newspaper articles, the team works together to find a common vision.
It is a requirement of the College's academictheater minor with a dance concentration to be in the Ensemble, but the Ensemble itself is also open to anyone who is accepted by audition. All Ensemble members can receive academic credit for their participation over three consecutive terms.
For Roni Nitecki '11, who grew up in the city of Haifa in northern Israel, the topic of war hits particularly close to home.
"The sound of bombs going off was a regular part of my childhood," Nitecki said. "I was taught that getting on a bus meant putting my life in serious risk."
As one of the two students choreographing the Spring production, Nitecki draws on memories from her youth.
"Coming to Dartmouth meant I didn't have to serve in the Israel Defense Forces like my brother and all my friends," she said. "The effect of war is a pretty relevant concept in my life."
The DDE offers serious dancers like Nitecki the chance to practice their passion through a rigorous regimen of daily rehearsals, regional touring and an annual Spring production that members begin preparing for in the Fall. Nitecki is one of two ensemble members, the other being Anne Munger '13, who is choreographing her own piece for the performance. Under the artistic instruction of Theater professor Ford Evans, the Dance Ensemble is one of the most intensive programs for dancers at Dartmouth. While the members come from a variety of dance backgrounds, the Ensemble limits its content to the scope of contemporary modern dance.
When I met with Mayuka Kowaguchi '11 at the Hop, she was out of breath, having just come from an Acting 1 interview and needing to leave for dance rehearsal not long after sitting down. Like Nitecki, she doesn't have much free time. As an Asian and Middle Eastern Studies major also minoring in digital arts, an additional minor in dance often feels like more of a relief than a burden, Kowaguchi said.
"Ever since I started at age 3, dance has been the one continuous thread in my life," she said.
While members like Kowaguchi and Nitecki have academic post-college goals, others have pursued careers as professional dancers. In the last decade, many of the Ensemble members have gone on to pursue advanced degrees at some of the country's most prestigious dance programs. Mary Chris DeBelina '05, for instance, received an MFA in Dance from Sarah Lawrence after graduating from Dartmouth with a major in biology and minor in dance.
The Ensemble show is only for diligent dancers as its requirements are highly demanding. Ensemble members must not only rehearse for two hours daily Monday through Friday, but they must also take daily dance classes.
Luckily, the rewards for their commitment are also plentiful. Not only do Ensemble members get the chance to work with a bevy of student, faculty and guest choreographers, but they also have the opportunity to tour with the group. The tour has a strong and expansive history of touring, ranging in cities close to home such as Montreal and New York, to the exotic destinations of Costa Rica and New Zealand. But that's not all by committing to three consecutive terms with the Ensemble, students can also earn an academic credit under the course title Theater 29, "Dance Studies in Performance."
Because there is no separate dance department, the minor is supervised by the theater department. Dartmouth's academic dance program consists of four dance courses offered through the theater department: movement fundamentals 1 and 2 and dance composition that are also known as Theater 26, 27 and 28 respectively, in addition to Theater 29. However for dance minors the courses provide more benefits than just academic credit.
"Whether I'm dancing in my living room or going to a class twice a week, it's not something I could excise from my life and be happy," Nitecki said.
Marguerite Imbert contributed to the reporting of this article.
