Dance

At Hollins, dance extends far beyond its traditional boundaries. Students learn to think of dance as a dynamic form, full of possibilities for growth and innovation. Members of the Hollins dance community are encouraged to discover, refine, and celebrate who they are as artists. The program aims to support a wide variety of student interests by offering outstanding technique classes, with extensive opportunities to perform and craft with an emphasis on interdisciplinary study.
   Hollins is proud to be the home of two dance companies. The Hollins Repertory Dance Company, made up of undergraduate dance majors, has garnered national attention for its imaginative, energy-filled performances. Graduate students and independent professional dancers perform with the Hollins Dance Project, Hollins' professional company in residence.
   Donna Faye Burchfield, professor of dance and director of Hollins' dance department, has been choreographing and performing her own work since 1979. Burchfield is dean of the American Dance Festival (ADF), the world's largest modern dance festival. As a result of this association, students have access to the ADF community each winter and summer, with the option of earning academic credit for their studies.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts and Fine Arts (B.A./B.F.A.) Degree

Candidates for the degree of bachelor of arts and fine arts normally follow a four-year program. They are required to complete a minimum of 158 semester credits of academic work, four Short Term activities (16 Short Term credits), and two physical education courses. Included in the 158 credits are 90 credits in dance, and general education skills and perspectives.

Hollins University/American Dance Festival/Master of Fine Arts Program

Hollins University, in partnership with American Dance Festival, announced a new M.F.A. program in the summer of 2005 and will begin their third academic year in the summer of 2007. This 60-credit degree program offers students an opportunity to immerse themselves for six weeks in the international community of the ADF followed by the intimate learning atmosphere at Hollins. Using the resources of both institutions, the program offers two tracks: a year-residency track and the low-residency track (for mid-career artists, teachers, and dance professionals).

Hollins Repertory Dance Company

The Hollins Repertory Dance Company gives students the opportunity to perform on a professional level, with gratifying results.
   Between 2003 and 2006, students performed over 80 new works by students, alumni, and guest artists, including Nicholas Leichter, Miguel Gutierrez, Jen Nugent and Ayo Jackson. Using the resource of the dance media lab, HRDC students expand their ideas with the use of digital sound, video, and animation. Company member Ann Liv Young's work was selected for New York's Fresh Tracks Series and Dance Theater Workshop, has been presented twice at Impulstanz in Vienna, and is currently being presented in France. Shani Collins (2001, M.F.A. '07) received a 2006 "Bessie" award for her body of work with Ron Brown/EVIDENCE. HRDC has presented their work at American College Dance Festivals in Montana, New Mexico, California, Virginia, and most recently Laramie, Wyoming. Adjudicators at these festivals have not only selected Hollins' student work to be presented in gala concerts, and at National College Dance Festivals, they have praised the work for intelligence, strength, and complexity: "a ground-breaking effort," "well developed and explored," "not afraid to be itself," and "provocative."
   The creative strength of the Hollins Repertory Dance Company shows through their energy and ability to perform nationally. The company has been selected to perform twice at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and once at Harlem's Aaron Davis Hall. The Hollins Repertory Dance Company is the first U.S. student group to twice travel to France to attend the Cannes Festival de Danse ('99, '03). While there students were able to not only attend diverse concerts, but also take part in an international colloquial on dance.
   Charles Reinhart, president of the American Dance Festival and artistic director for dance at the Kennedy Center was quoted in The Roanoke Times 3/9/00: "Their whole approach is professional. Whatever they are doing at Hollins, they need to keep doing it."

Performances

Such diverse and noted professionals as Doug Varone, Shen Wei, Jennifer Nugent, Miguel Gutierrez, Nicholas Leichter, Neta Pulvermacher, John Jasperse, Mark Haim, Karinne Keithley, Ray Schwartz, Ayo Jackson, and Christal Brown perform on campus, conduct master classes, and create new works for and with students.
   Two major productions each year feature the works of faculty members, guest artists, alumnae, and company members. Students are strongly encouraged to create works for both formal and informal performance venues. Past concerts at Hollins have featured choreography and performance by Dianne McIntyre, Shen Wei, Karinne Keithley, Houlihan & Dancers, bopi (Kraig Patterson), Nathan Trice, the Guangdong Modern Dance Company of China, and nicholasleichterdance.

Apprenticeships, Internships, and Independent Studies

The January Short Term is an ideal time to gain practical experience in an area of special interest to you. During this time faculty and students develop special courses for an intensive month-long period of study. Recent dance apprenticeships and internships include:

• Shen Wei Dance Arts (New York City)
• London Dance Umbrella (London)
• Ronald K. Brown (New York City)
• Donald Byrd (New York City)
• Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York City)
• American Dance Festival (New York City and Durham, N.C.)
• Harkness Center for Dance Injuries (New York City)
• Symphony Space (New York City)
• Lab assistant to Dr. Ruth Day (Duke University, psychology dept.)
• Moving Spirits Dance Theater, Marlies Yearby (New York City)
• Movement Research (New York City)
• Urban Bush Women (New York City)
• Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (New York City)
• P.S. 122, (New York City)
• Franklin Furnace, (New York City)
• Improvisational Festival (Budapest)

In addition, dance students have undertaken independent study projects during January at the following sites:

• Kyoto, Japan Dance Intensive
• New York City Dance Intensive
• Alvin Ailey School January Intensive (New York City)
• American Dance Festival's January Intensive (New York City)
• Modern Dance Intensive (Paris)
• Dance as a Window on Culture (Prague)
• Creative Landscapes (Japan)

Dance Connections

Another significant aspect of the dance program is Hollins' connection with the American Dance Festival (ADF) at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Donna Faye Burchfield, director of dance at Hollins, also serves as dean of ADF. Students may choose to attend ADF both in the summer and during Short Term for more focused study, with the option of earning academic credit.
   In 2001, at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C., Chinese choreographer Shen Wei presented a new work commissioned by the American Dance Festival with support of the Doris Duke Awards for New York, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Hollins University. Shen Wei, a founding member of China's first modern dance troupe, was in residence at Hollins in 1997 and again in spring 2001, while the piece was being developed. Four Hollins-trained dancers, Sara Procopio '98, M.A.L.S. '01; Jesse Zaritt, current M.A.L.S. student; Vanessa Fassie '02; and Maria Arias '03, were among the performers in "Near the Terrace," which premiered at ADF in July 2001. New York Times critic Anna Kisselgoff wrote, "...this is dance that must be savored moment by moment. The effect on the viewer is cumulative, but the instant can often be more resonant than the whole."

Hollins Alumnae: Where are they now?

Here's what several recent Hollins graduates are doing:

• Dana Rainey, featured dancer in "Harlem Song," New York City
  
• Shani Collins, former company member of Urban Bush Women and Ron Brown's EVIDENCE, 2006 recipient of a Bessie award for performance
• Katy Pyle, member of John Jasperse Company, New York City
• Kate Totherow, independent dancemaker; member, The Glass Bead Players, northern California
• Kelly East, independent dancemaker and performer; member, The Glass Bead Players, northern California
• Sara Procopio, current member and rehearsal director of Shen Wei's Dance Arts, New York City
• Claire Benton, former member of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, New York City
• Marlo Harris, pilates instructor and independent professional dancer, Houston, TX
• Melissa Chris, associate artist for prestigious Atlantic Center for the Arts to work with Carrie Mae Weems, DJ Spooky, and Sol Williams, independent choreographer, Chapel Hill, N.C.; choreographer, summer 2003, The Yard
• Jenefer Davies, former Hollins dance faculty and current Washington & Lee faculty member
• Cheri Miller, M.F.A. graduate, University of Colorado, Boulder, former member of the Hollins Dance Project
• Sharon W. Goodill, director of the Hahnemann Creative Arts in Therapy Program, Drexel University; vice president, American Dance Therapy Association
• Carol Wallace Sherman, professor of dance, William and Mary
• Jillian Pena, M.F.A. graduate, The Art Institute of Chicago
  
  

To learn more about our alumnae, visit www.hollinsdance.org.

Current Projects
Hollins dance is currently working on developing new choreographic residencies during January and summer terms. Additionally, the department is exploring the creation of a published dance journal.

The Hollins Repertory Dance Company rehearses and performs contemporary and historical works of modern dance. They work with professional choreographers to make new dances and more importantly, to get those dances seen by audiences.

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