Eleven students ranging in class year and dance experience attended a special workshop yesterday with John Heginbotham, guest director to the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble for the Fall and Winter during the ensemble's first meeting of the term.
"Just stand," Heginbotham said. "Feel yourself as a three-dimensional figure in Straus [Dance] Studio."
The class is the first in a series of four this week held in Straus Dance Studio at Alumni Gym.
"I'm going to be teaching a variety of types of classes," Heginbotham said. "Some will be modern technique classes which will involve some floor work, a center and across the floor exercises. The ballet classes will be traditional, involving a ballet bar, some center work and across the floor, focusing specifically on ballet technique."
Yesterday's class emphasized modern dance. Four of the students who attended are members of the ensemble, and several of those not already involved plan to audition for the group, according to Heginbotham.
While some students are auditioning through this week's classes, ensemble members stress that anyone is welcome to attend and learn.
"It's only an audition if you want it to be," Christine Averill '13, who is in her fourth year with the ensemble, said.
Some attendees, like Anna Gabianelli '16, decided to sign up for the classes to get back into dancing after having taken time off.
"I've missed dancing a lot since coming to Dartmouth, so I was really excited that [Heginbotham] and the ensemble were holding these open classes," Gabianelli said.
In previous years, the ensemble technique classes have been open not only to students for physical education credit, but also to the greater community. However, it remains unclear whether the Hopkins Center for the Arts plans to make this term's classes available to community members as it has in the past, Averill said. Technique classes remain open to all students who wish to take advantage of the opportunity, according to Chloe Moon '13, who has danced with the ensemble since her freshman year.
"In the past, in the Fall term you would audition for the ensemble, and after that it would be much harder to find out about when classes are," Moon said. "Now they're more open about it."
The primary goal of the week-long classes is to improve the dancers' technique.
"I would like to help people find their best technical abilities and for them to feel comfortable and confident moving in general," Heginbotham said.
While each class is an opportunity for participants to develop their skills as dancers, it should also be an emotionally rewarding experience for all of those involved.
"I hope the new dancers get to see a little bit of the joy that we feel every day in these classes, and that they get to experience that happiness," Moon said.
Regardless of age or skill, it was clear that most students walked away feeling more confident as dancers and had truly enjoyed their time in the studio.
"I loved the first class," Gabianelli said. "It was more rigorous than I expected, and it was a lot of movement, but that made it really fun."
The technique classes, along with weekly rehearsals, serve as part of the ensemble's preparation for its showcase on March 7 in Moore Theater. Heginbotham is using the technique classes as an opportunity to test out material that could possibly be in the final performance.
"I liked what I saw in the studio," Heginbotham said of a potential set he tried out with the group attending the first class. "That could work on stage."
With such a short term to practice for an hour-long performance, Heginbotham and the dancers have no time to waste in their preparation. Fortunately, they are off to a strong start and are sure to create a show that will impress audiences.
"I was heartened by what I saw in the class. I'm not thinking Oh no, what am I going to do?'" Heginbotham said. "I feel good. I liked the dancers in the room, I liked the things we did together, and I'm ready to keep going."
Technique classes will take place each week on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for an hour and a half in Straus.
