Dance students at Slippery Rock University gain experience far beyond the stage, developing their technique while learning the many behind-the-scenes skills that bring a performance to life.
“Slippery Rock prioritizes speaking your true artistic values, creativity and independent thought process,” said Dohnavyn Warren, a sophomore dance major from Watsontown (Warrior Run HS).
Warren and Norah Spradling, a senior dance major from Gallatin, Tennessee (Aaron HS), participated in the 60×60 Dance Concert on Sept. 15. Students signed up to choreograph and perform 60-second dances set to assigned music compositions and paired with art projections by the SRU Art Department.
“It’s a really interesting task to see these little patchwork pieces and make something with someone you don’t typically work with,” Spradling said.
Warren and Spradling worked together for part of the production and emphasized how such a unique type of production inspires differences in creative expression.
“It really brought in the validation that you are creating art, even if it doesn’t feel like the most intense thing you’ve ever created,” Warren said. “Art can be created from intensity and high focus, or it can be improvisational and thrown onto the floor but still be inspiring to other people.”
The culture of diversity in dance choreography and performance starts with SRU Dance Department faculty, who emphasize the importance of individual development.
“Our professors really care what we think, and they cultivate an environment that’s very thought provoking,” Spradling said. “We’re not just robots doing whatever. There’s a very strong sense of thinking for yourself and finding the ‘why’ of what you’re doing.”
That emphasis on individual development through every aspect of dance performance and production catalyzes student growth in ways they might not even expect.
“Many of the most valuable things I’ve taken away from this University have been the amount of tools I’ve been given choreographically, improvisationally and knowing how to dance with another person in a lot of different capacities,” Spradling said.
For Spradling, this included a dance production course that spurred various new interests. She picked up a minor in graphic design, adding to her many potential career paths.
“We have a dance technology course that has opened a lot of doors for me in terms of internships and jobs for the summer,” Spradling said. “I’m able to have a different perspective on the same things I’ve done my whole life. I was very interested in developing those skills further.”
Spradling kept working with her professors after completing the technology course during her freshman year, she landed a role as the social media coordinator for the Dance Department and eventually an internship with a company, Dance Media, that gives her the chance to work on different magazines based in New York remotely while studying at SRU.
Jennifer Keller, professor of dance, has taught the dance technology course as well as improvisation and contemporary partnering.
“I feel like those are the three courses that have changed my life,” Spradling said.
Warren’s experience has been similar after taking a gap year to figure out his ideal career path.
“Dance has always been a part of my life, but I didn’t know if it was a driving point for my career path,” Warren said.
He came to SRU for an audition and started talking with Keller and Lindsay Viatori, professor of dance.
“They showed me how great this place was, and I immediately knew how good the community was here just from the audition and the people I was auditioning with,” Warren said.
The 60×60 performance is the only occurrence during the school year where students sign themselves up to perform, as opposed to the traditional audition-based setup. Warren and Spradling had a duo performance that they choreographed together.
“It’s very unique in that it’s the only time we get to choose both who we want to work with and what we want to do,” Spradling said. “Since it’s such a limited timeframe, it’s very creatively inspiring.”
More information about undergraduate dance at SRU is available on the program’s webpage.
