Barnard dance majors leap into New York

At Barnard, dance majors two-step between college and city life.

The dance department at Barnard hopes to offer its student dancers the best of both worlds. Since Barnard is a small liberal arts college located in a major dance capital, dance majors benefit from access to the New York professional dance scene as well as to a close-knit community of college dancers. According to dance department Chair and Artistic Director Mary Cochran, “The best thing about being a dance major is the opportunities to engage directly with the professional world.”

Through department productions at Miller Theatre and Dance Theater Workshop, students have the chance to work closely with professional choreographers. This semester’s performance at Miller includes a work by Laura Dean staged by Rodger Belman, world premieres by Jodi Melnick and Bill Young, and a new ballet by Lisa de Ribere.

Some students also supplement their education in the classes with internships at arts organizations, forging connections that can lead to jobs after graduation. With dance companies and arts organizations hit especially hard by the economic recession, these connections with the New York dance world try to give majors a leg up in the competitive world of performance.

Not all dance majors plan to pursue a performing career, however, and the department prides itself on producing well-rounded danc00ers who are not only technically skilled but also conversant in dance as an academic field. Shanice Naidu, CC ’10, is a dance concentrator who titled her senior thesis “All Bodies Are Created Equal: Uncovering Reasons for the Under Representation of Black Ballerinas in America.” Naidu said, “I hope to apply these elements of my undergraduate study to a career in which I can provide a voice for under-represented individuals.”

Cochran attributed a strong sense of community among the dance majors to the two capstone courses, which require students both to write a thesis and to present repertory or original choreography for performance. “Often graduates continue to work with each other after they leave Barnard/Columbia,” she explained. “We have quite a community of artists out there now, helping each other and staying in touch with the department.”

Lorene Bouboushian, BC ’10, echoed this sentiment, hoping that her connections forged at Barnard will prove helpful in navigating the New York dance community. Bouboushian discussed her post-graduation goals, saying, “Dancing at Barnard has given me a group of peers and mentors with whom to grow, so I’m going to grow.”

The majority of students who major in dance also complete a second major in another field. This choice not only makes them more well-rounded artists, but also prepares them for alternative career paths to the dance world. This year’s senior dance majors double-majored in everything from English and anthropology to political science and art history.

Glenna Clifton, BC ’10, exemplifies this trend of dancers with diverse academic interests. Clifton plans to enter a Ph.D. program in evolutionary biology, but as she explained, “I have also been auditioning for dance companies, and would consider deferring from my Ph.D. goals if a dance opportunity arose.” Double-majoring in dance and physics at Barnard allowed her to pursue other career goals while continuing her dance studies. Clifton is the only dance major who is double-majoring in science or math.

No matter what graduates decide to do with their dance major, they should be reassured by employers’ positive perception of student dancers. Clifton said, “I have found that every interviewer I have encountered has been very impressed by my dance major. They view it as a sign of self-discipline and motivation.”