Where Dance Lives: Maymester class takes dance students to NYC
By Lauren Highfill
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Members of the dance class outside the Joyce Theater in New York City. |
Sixteen Kennesaw State University dance students had a whirlwind experience in New York City’s professional dance world last month. Members of the Contemporary Trends in Dance course spent six days in the city attending Broadway musicals, performances by the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center and a show at the Joyce Theater. Students also received instruction from a private master class at the Alvin Ailey Dance Studio and multiple dance classes at the Broadway Dance Center.
Assistant Professor of Dance Ivan Pulinkala says that many of the students who participated in the NYC experience will be part of the first group of dance majors at KSU this fall. “It’s important for dance students to have this chance to experience life as an artist in New York City,” said Pulinkala.
Haleigh Brooks, a KSU Dance Company member who went on the trip, most enjoyed “getting to experience the different styles of dance in New York City—everything from Broadway, to ballet, to modern. The trip was amazing and we were able to take full advantage of New York.”
Further developing students’ professional skills in dance, the time in NYC allowed them the opportunity to interview dance professionals who do their work off the stage. “As part of her research project for the course, one student interviewed the marketing director of a professional dance company in New York City,” said Pulinkala.
After six days in New York, Pulinkala says, “this Maymester course was very successful. Not only was it a great intellectual experience in studying contemporary trends in dance, it was also a great experience for students interested in professional work.”