High School Students Explore Dance Program And College Life With Summer Intensive
Aspiring dancers turned parts of the Texas A&M University campus into their own stage as they learned, trained and performed in the dance program’s 15th annual Collegiate Summer Dance Intensive.
High school students from around the state stayed on campus for the June 4-10 event, participating in an accelerated curriculum that explored technique, performance and the integration of dance and technology.
“By bringing people onto our campus, they get to know us as faculty,” said Carisa Armstrong, dance program director and associate professor in the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts. “Our current students also serve as counselors, so they get to talk to them about what it’s like to be a student at A&M. They get to see what taking class with us really feels like, and what it’s like to be on such a large university campus.”
Students split their days refining their skills in ballet, modern, hip hop and jazz in the dance studios of the Physical Education Activity Program and learning in the classrooms of the Liberal Arts and Humanities building.
As the dance program emphasizes anatomical awareness and its impact on form, students warmed up with a workout targeting specific muscles and muscle groupings essential to properly executing technique.
Kayla Payton, a 17-year-old student from Carrollton, said she struggled with holding proper ballet form when attempting a new move for class. Diane Bedford, clinical associate professor, provided guidance about what muscles to focus on and how, and Payton said she was then able to improve in her technique and correctly execute the move.
“She set choreography and then she’ll tell us each step has something behind it so it can improve our technique,” Payton said. “That’s what I really liked about that class.”
The classes offer students the opportunity to learn, in addition to serving as an audition for possible admittance into the dance program.
“Their performance in class tells us if they’re accepted into the program or not, so it’s nice to be able to get two things done at one time,” Armstrong said. “You get to enjoy having an intensive dance week, and then you also do the practical thing of auditioning for the program.”
The opportunity had students considering turning this temporary experience into a college career and dreaming of what their futures could hold. Zoe Showalter-Flowers, a 16-year-old from Arlington, said if she were to attend Texas A&M, she would pursue a major in dance science with the intent of becoming a physical therapist for dancers.
Classroom instruction focused on screendance, which combines dance and cinematography to create short films that use camera angles to manipulate choreography and deliver a desired viewing experience. This differs from performance on stage, where viewers can choose where to place their focus.
“In one day, they learned all the fundamentals of how to film and compose their frames,” said Jennifer Petuch, instructional assistant professor. “From there, they have their final storyboards set. They collaborate and learn all the film roles of being director, dancer, cinematographer and gaffer. Then from there, they will only have one day of learning how to edit from scratch an entire dance film.”
Students showed a mix of nervousness and excitement at tackling this new challenge. A few students with screendance experience eagerly shared their knowledge with the class. Others took notes and asked questions, learning everything they could before beginning the assignment.
Any initial apprehensions quickly went away, and students soon found themselves choreographing routines and creating dance films around campus. Like a scene out of a musical, the students danced in the Liberal Arts and Arts & Humanities courtyard and around the building, even leaping off the steps of Scoates Hall.
Once filming was complete, editing began. Excited giggles and high-fives filled the computer lab as their projects came together.
“It’s just exciting to see the future of dance and where it’s going,” Petuch said. “They didn’t have programs like this when I was a student, and I’m both jealous and excited.”
The dancers got a taste of dorm life by staying in Mosher Hall and eating their meals at Duncan Dining Hall. They explored campus on walks to and from classes, catching the occasional university bus to get to more distant destinations.
“It’s different than if you were to go to camp and stay at a hotel or something, but it helps me know what A&M would be like, and I like the dorm room experience,” Showalter-Flowers said.
The event culminated with a presentation for parents of photos and videos showcasing what the students had worked on, as well as a screening of the dance films.
Students said they were pleased with their experience at the summer intensive, and some referred to the relationships among the dance program as family-like. Payton said she was happy to learn from the faculty.
“It really is a family,” Payton said. “They’re very comforting, they’re really open to answering questions, and I don’t really feel hesitant to tell them how I feel.”
