Correction appended
Unsatisfied with the single ballet class offered through the Hopkins Center, Hillary Mimnaugh '11, along with Boer Deng '10 and Abby Do '10, began seeking out other options. When they failed to find a classical ballet course, the students decided to take matters into their own hands and start their own class.
This led to the creation of the Dartmouth Classical Ballet Theatre, which offered its first class for students over sophomore summer. The group received Council on Student Organizations funding the preceding spring.
The DCBT is advised by Marianne Hraibi, a professional dancer who teaches at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont and also leads a modern dance class through the athletic department's Fitness and Lifestyle Improvement Program.
Hraibi met Mimnaugh and Deng through her dance class, and soon found that they all emphasized classical technique in their style of dance, Hraibi said.
Though that emphasis has diminished on campus over the past few years, Hraibi explained, the growing participation in DCBT signalled the need for a niche organization dedicated to the classical form.
"There are a surprising number of people who danced seriously in high school, who came out of the woodwork and were able to continue through the program," Deng said.
This includes students like Megan Ji '12, who joined the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble, a group more focused on modern dance, her freshman year after she was unable to find an opportunity in ballet.
Ji credits her ability to adapt to the new style to her ballet training, pointing to the import of classical training on all forms of dance. Ji now also dances with the DCBT, after hearing about the group from a friend halfway through Fall term.
"It's good to have the ballet class because it's what I'm comfortable with," Ji said.
If participation continues to grow as it has, both Hraibi and Mimnaugh foresee the addition of a performance component to the program.
The group also hopes to bring in some of the big names in dance for master classes.
The DCBT already has its own professionals involved, including Hraibi and former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Ruth Mayer, an Upper Valley resident who teaches classes for the group.
The College has been heavily involved in finding the group appropriate rehearsal space after representatives at the Hop said the Strauss studio, used for the class during the summer, was not available for Fall term.
With the approval of Woody Eckels, director of Residential Operations, and Samantha Ivery, assistant dean of Student Life and advisor to black students, DCBT began rehearsing in the basement of Cutter-Shabazz Hall.
Assistant director of the Collis Center and Student Activities Tim Duggan was able to find a marley dance floor that the Hop once used for a production and installed it in Cutter Shabazz's basement.
At the end of Fall term, Liz Agosto, associate director of Collis Center & Student Activities, helped the girls order dance bars, a much-needed improvement to the chairs they had previously been using.
Next term, the program intends to offer PE credit to its participants.
Roger Demment, the senior associate athletic director at the College, said he recognizes the importance of offering physical fitness programs that match the needs and interests of students. He anticipates the DCBT's leaders will have no problem obtaining permission to offer PE credit.
The group will face significant financial hurdles in the wake of the national economic crisis and budget cuts at the College. The Student Activities Fund that supports DCBT is protected from college budget cuts, but COSO funding may decline, according to Agosto.
Meanwhile, though, the show will go on, bringing ballet to a campus with limited access to the classical form.
"A lot of people have this view of ballet as little girls in tights, and it's not that," Deng said.
The DCBT plans to run one beginner class and one intermediate to advanced class this term.
Input from prospective participants will be used to determine when the classes are held to encourage any interested students to sign up.
"We want people to show up -- we don't turn anyone away," Mimnaugh said.
The original version of this article incorrectly stated that Marianne Hraibi teaches a modern dance class at the Hopkins Center. In fact, Hraibi teaches through the athletic department's Fitness and Lifestyle Improvement Program. In addition, the article stated that the Dartmouth Classical Ballet Theatre had rehearsed on a marquee dance floor. In fact, the group practiced on a marley dance floor.
