NMH Dance Company Caps the Year with Spring Concert

The NMH Dance Company closes out the school year with its annual spring dance concert, "The Beginning of the End,” which runs May 7 through 9 in the Chiles Theater. The showcase includes eight student-choreographed dances, which demonstrate the diversity, creativity, and dedication to cross-disciplinary learning that form the foundation of the school's dance program.

"It's kind of a dark title for a show," Gretel Schatz, the chair of the dance department, said with a laugh. "This concert is a collection of 13 very different dances. There's not a theme, per se; individual artists are making what they're interested in at the moment."

That includes three senior solos and five other student-produced dances, centered around ideas of self-expression, bodily autonomy, and defying the expectations and limits placed by society, among other themes.

"It's been interesting to see how students who have choreographed a lot in their time here have been taking bigger risks in what they're creating, putting different elements of themselves into their work," said dance teacher Nicole Williams. "Gretel and I have very distinct ways of working; I love to see how kids incorporate their work with both of us to dig deeper and make something really creative."

The spring concert also features a piece choreographed by visiting artist and alumna Aïssatou Thiam '19, who worked with members of the Snapdragon troupe — comprising Dance Company members enrolled all three terms this year — during a two-day residency in April.

"Working with Aïssatou was a super enjoyable experience as a first year student,” said Sicily Zhang ’28. “She brought a lot of energy and encouraged us to be confident and really feel the character of yourself in this piece. It was a good opportunity to communicate with an NMH alumna; her experience as a dancer [here] shaped who she is, just like us.”

Other dances include the final project for this semester's intermediate ballet class and a special farewell performance for this year's graduating seniors, set to a rendition of the school song, "Jerusalem," by composer and producer Jacob Collier.

Despite the lack of a formal theme, Schatz said the cyclical nature of existence — and the way we move through various spaces in life — plays prominently throughout the show. "It could be the school year, life in general, the patterns of water, unity and friendships, or the patterns of showing yourself and protecting yourself."

The reprise of familiar themes extends to the faculty-choreographed pieces: Schatz's piece, "Protocol," explores themes of conformity and the individual's attempts to break free of societal constraints. It incorporates 18 dancers of all skill levels, while utilizing an almost militaristic cadence, stark costuming, and sparse set design, juxtaposed with moments of color and emotive movement.

Williams, meanwhile, continues a yearlong dive into the symbolic and mythological nature of water, drawing on West African Yoruba traditions and students' everyday interactions with the element.

"Nicole and I joke that we make the same piece over and over," Schatz said. "But what artist doesn't, to an extent? I'm telling my own personal story of growing up and finding my own authentic self. As a high school dance teacher, I have to get the kids to feel like they're an important part of something. They're also in this place of 'Who are you, and what does it mean to be human?' which is the core of NMH's Humanities questions."

Williams added that veteran members of the company know to expect the unexpected: "They know I'm going to ask all kinds of weird questions," she said. "They know we're going to leave the studio, we're going to read things and do all sorts of other exercises. This is just part of the process."

This semester, those exercises included students freewriting about their memories and relationships to water, studying water-related folktales, and taking a field trip to Bailey's Brook on campus with environmental science teacher Pete Sniffen to study the ecology of the stream.

"Not only are we talking about how you're living water stories throughout the day, but how is this connecting to the other things that you're learning in your classes. What's the math of it all, the science of it all?" Williams said. "What I want to prioritize is giving you this language to let you know this is all part of a pantheon that you can put in your toolbox."

This semester, Zhang put that premise into practice, working as a lighting designer in addition to dancing in several pieces in the show.

“This designing experience is a totally different perspective from just dancing on the stage," she said. "The experience of working with my choreographer — sharing ideas, listening to the music’s rhythm, adjusting the light until the positions, timing, and intention all fit together perfectly — is great [and] really enriches my skills as a dancer."

Dialogue between performer and choreographer is another point of emphasis for both teachers. "It's always a conversation, because I'm not the only artist in the room," Williams said. "You're using your body to bring my ideas to life, so we have to work together and collaborate to make that happen in the most organic way."

The expectations for performers are high, said Williams, adding that her focus on the serpentine style developed by acclaimed choreographer and anthropologist Katherine Dunham can be challenging for students. "Many students have never moved their spine in this way. There's a discipline in that. It's very hard to manipulate your body in a way that is free yet controlled."

Carol Tang '28, who performs a solo in Williams' piece in addition to dancing in two other pieces, said the opportunity to develop technical skills in a broad range of styles was a big draw in her decision to come to NMH. She appreciates the combination of self-determination and rigor that the Dance Company is built on, underscored by a philosophy she described as "discriminating from expectations and immersing in the instant."

Performing at a high level onstage takes good time management skills outside of the studio, Tang said, especially at the end of the semester, when students are balancing finals and other commitments. "Dance is a really big commitment. I prepare myself mentally by not setting [unrealistic] expectations for myself. Physically, I make sure I sleep at least for eight hours a night, which contributes to having energy for the following days."

Ultimately, said Schatz, it is the learning outcomes that emerge from this process — the technical skills, practice habits, and development of self-confidence and meaning in the work — that truly make any show a success.

"As an educator, I'm always hoping that students will be involved in a way that shows them that their art-making, whatever form it takes, is a way to express and process their experience," she said. "I think as dance-makers, we have a really cool opportunity to do it in community here.

"The longer a student stays in Dance Company, the more nuanced they become in their expression, because they've been exposed to more tools,” Schatz continued. “They not only become more proficient technicians, they become more expressive artists. At the end of the day, the goal is that they can integrate all of those things."

—Max Hunt

The NMH Dance Company presents “The Beginning of the End” on Thursday, May 7, at 7:30 pm, with additional shows on Friday, May 8, at 8 pm and Saturday, May 9, at 7:30 pm. Tickets can be reserved online.

Photography by Matthew Cavanaugh. See more on Flickr.