Eleven students, two alumni, and Dance Director Kristen Duffy Young from The Colleges of the Fenway attended the New England Regional conference of the American College Dance Association. The conference took place April 4-7 at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. This year’s theme was “Dance in the Creative Economy,” which focused on the ways in which dance and the arts impact the economy through the generation of jobs, revenue, and improvements in the quality of life.
More than 400 students from college dance departments throughout the country engaged in classes on topics of community building and creativity. They further exploded the roles that these topics play in social justice, career planning, movement and dance, performances, and more. Duffy Young stated, “This was an extraordinary opportunity for students at the Colleges of the Fenway to connect their arts learning to a broader context and to explore ways in which the arts can bring about positive change for both the individual and community at large.”
Alice Rufo, a MassArt Illustration Major, remarked, “The conference was a unique experience because it went beyond the act of dancing and I learned about where my own movement patterns come from, as well as how the training different dancers went through all brought us to the same place.”
Simmons University student Emily Waterhouse said the conference, “…was a time of true bonding with the members of my dance community…learning new ways to move and create a better me.” She noted that she left the conference with new lessons around the importance of trying something you’re not good at and the value of making mistakes. “I also learned that we all have a personal bibliography that not only shapes us physically, but shapes how we experience situations.”
Melissa Mirza, a graduate student at Simmons University, represented The Colleges of the Fenway in the formal concert with the presentation of her work. “This contemporary dance for seven dancers explored the use of technology and its affect on human relationships. Mirza stated, “Presenting my work at ACDA was an amazing experience. I learned so much from the variety of feedback I received. It’s incredible to see how different people view the work with their own unique lens. The conference also prompted me to think more deeply about body language and the meaning behind movement.”
The COF Dance Project looks forward to attending next year’s ACDA conference sponsored by Middlebury College and the University of Vermont.