Monday, September 28, 2009

Bates Dance Festival: A Student Perspective

Emory dance student Kaitlyn Pados attended the Bates Dance Festival this summer. This is Kaitlyn's reflection on her experience there.

This summer I attended Bates Dance Festival at Bates College in Maine with the help of the Sally A. Radell Friends of Dance Scholarship. The three week experience involved four daily classes for me: Modern V with Michael Foley, Jazz IV with Cathy Young, Modern Repertory with Bebe Miller, and Yoga with Ashley Crawford. It was an amazing experience by itself, but in was even better sharing the hard work and exhaustion with fellow Emory dancers Alyssa Bruehlman and Kirsten Cooper, in addition to having Greg Catellier there as a supportive faculty member.

I have done other summer dance programs in the past, but this festival in particular challenged me on a daily basis, and pushed me out of my comfort zone which I really appreciate as an aspiring dancer/performer. The festival culminated in a finale performance in which we performed Bebe Miller's repertory work.

Crammed into those three busy weeks were challenges, exhaustion, and quite frankly, severe soreness. But the exposure to new movement and the personal growth I underwent as a dancer and performer made it an experience I will forever remember and appreciate.

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