Dancer's Blog
Hello from HBC Member Samantha Cohen
Posted by: Samantha Cohen On: October 29, 2009
Hey everyone! My name is Samantha, and I'm a sophomore at Harvard College. I'm also a company and board member of the Harvard Ballet Company, and I'm thrilled to be one of its new bloggers! I'm from Newton, MA, although I lived in Westchester, NY for some time as well.
I graduated from Boston University Academy in 2008, and I live in Pforzheimer House. I began dancing at Paulette's Ballet Studio in Newton, and after I moved to New York, I began training at the School of American Ballet in 1999. As a student at SAB, I performed children's roles in numerous productions with the New York City Ballet, both at Lincoln Center and in Saratoga Springs, NY. When I returned to the Boston area in 2004, I continued my training at Boston Ballet School, performing with the Boston Ballet School Ensemble and in Boston Ballet's Nutcracker.
As a very happy Harvard student, I plan to study Social Studies while enjoying the opportunity to continue dancing and also to write for the Harvard Crimson. In addition, I work in the College admissions office, where I love giving tours and interacting with prospective students.
HBC has been an integral part of my experience at Harvard, not only allowing me to continue training and performing, but also enabling me to become a part of an enthusiastic and supportive group of student dancers that shares my passions for both academics and the arts. I look forward to my classes and rehearsals not only because of the opportunity to interact and learn from renowned teachers and choreographers, but also to see the talented friends I have made within Harvard's dance community.
And now you can be a part of the community as well! Tune every other week this semester as the other bloggers and I update you on our progress with our upcoming production, "Momentum," a collaborative work that will showcase the work of guest and student choreographers on the Loeb Mainstage in November.
Until next time!
-Sam
Hello from HBC Member Nina Stoller-Lindsey
Posted by: Nina Stoller-Lindsey On: October 29, 2009
Hi, my name is Nina Stoller-Lindsey. I'm a junior in Mather House, concentrating in English with a secondary field in Dramatic Arts.
I'm from New York City, where I began my formal training at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. I was a scholarship student in the Young Artists' Program at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, and since coming to Harvard, I have attended summer programs with the Limón and Paul Taylor Dance Companies. As you can probably tell, I am a modern dancer, so, like most of my friends at Harvard, you might be wondering, "Why are you in a ballet company?"
That's a good question...
When I got my acceptance letter from Harvard, I had already made up my mind to go to the University of Michigan. With a BFA program that focused on modern dance and choreography and the flexibility that would allow me to pursue a second major in one of my many other interests, U of M was my dream school. But with the chance to go to Harvard, I had to reconsider. Along with the astounding growth of the Harvard Dance Program within the past few years, one of the things that finally drew me to Harvard was its impressive collection of student dance companies. At first, I wasn't sure if the Harvard Ballet Company was for me, but when I arrived on campus in September, my decision wasn't so difficult. That semester, HBC planned to present American Grace: The Story of the American Stage, a large scale-production on the Loeb Mainstage, which included works by several of my favorite choreographers. Performing Martha Graham's Steps in the Street and Mark Morris' Polka, I quickly realized that being in HBC would afford me some of my best opportunities to perform modern repertory.
Somewhat of an anomaly, I have, since then, managed to dance in an HBC show every semester without ever performing in a ballet piece. I have become hugely appreciative of the company's efforts to incorporate dancers of different backgrounds and to expand its own repertoire by creating an outlet for student choreographers with a variety styles. Being exposed to work by the now professional Claudia Schreier '08 and Larissa Douglas Koch '08-'09 has been particularly exciting for me. If any choreography - besides maybe Mr. B's leotard ballets - can not only captivate me, but consistently make me wish I were a ballet dancer, it is Claudia's. With her inventive use of classical technique, her pieces are not only intricate beyond belief, but also deeply moving. Admiring Larissa's work since coming to Harvard, I was thrilled to perform in her Cauchemares/Rêves last fall, and rehearsing for the premiere of Larissa Douglas Contemporary Dance this summer, I continue to be amazed by her musicality, her extensive vocabulary, and the sheer range of her style.
After creating outstanding new works each semester, Claudia and Larissa have not only provided increased performance opportunities for a variety of dancers, but have inspired a new wave of student choreographers (including...me!). This past spring, HBC produced Premiere, a concert consisting entirely of new works, most of which were choreographed by students whose styles were again, notably diverse. Choreographing Upbeat, a five-person piece to Paul Desmond's "Take Five," was one my most rewarding experiences at Harvard. With Momentum less than three months away, I am excited not only to create more modern dance for HBC, but to watch the development of other student choreographers.
As a member of the publicity team for this cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary production, I amazed by the way company continues to promote the importance not only of ballet, but of dance in general at Harvard. That HBC manages to do so all the while maintaining its commitment to classical technique is even more impressive. Performing pieces such Balanchine's Apollo, Emeralds and Who Cares?, and Trey McIntyre's Blue Until June, not to mention classics like Swan Lake and La Bayadere, HBC's dancers have demonstrated a level of professionalism that is rare in a student-run company. And let's face it; college dance groups are a dime a dozen, but how many schools have a ballet company? Even as a modern dancer, I think that's pretty cool.