Department of Dance Students Perform in Brazil
Explained Hadley, “As a recipient of the Ronald and Deborah Ratner Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Arts and Humanities, I used its seed monies to enhance international education in Ohio State Dance.”
“None of us spoke Portuguese at all and because of that language barrier, it provided a unique opportunity for dance to flourish,” said Asha Whitfield, a senior dance major and the trip’s production manager. “When our words failed us because of this language barrier, dance was our language. That’s how we communicated. It became our connecting point, our foundation, which in turn added so much value and depth to our art form.”
The ensemble of dancers performed in schools, community centers, studios and theatres around Salvador. Everywhere the Brazil tour went, they were greeted by enthusiastic audiences who were more than willing to share their own dances with the company.
“Performing in non-traditional spaces was the highlight of the trip,” said Josh Manculich, MFA candidate, assistant director of the touring company and Princess Grace Award recipient. “Taking dance to areas of Salvador that might not otherwise see our versions of dance or art was rewarding. Each performance always ended in a dance party that brought forth the feeling of exchange.”
Rehearsals for the trip began last August and in addition to learning the dances, members of the company took a course in Brazilian history and culture. Twelve pieces were developed in total: four choreographed by undergraduates, four by graduate students, three by faculty and one by alumna and visiting artist Teena Custer. While the dancers expected to host performances once they arrived, they weren’t expecting the trip to have such a large impact.
“Students were appreciative of every aspect of their trip: the performing, taking classes from Brazilian dance masters, attending dance and music concerts, touring the city, interacting with young students, walking through neighborhoods and spending free time at the beach,” said Hadley. “These students took it all in and found everything truly eye-opening. They recognized and appreciated that this experience changed their lives.”
Whitfield agreed. “The trip itself was way more than I could have ever expected. For a lot of us I don’t think we realized how service-oriented it was going to be. We thought we would just be performing like a company would, but it turned out to be so much more.”
Whitfield used the Brazil Tour as her senior project for Ohio State, exploring her role in a dance company as an arts administrator, social media manager, music technician and choreographer. She worked alongside company members, studying the cultural and historical intersection between the United States and Brazil in relation to the works being produced.
“I wanted to find the material that people used to inspire themselves and see how history affects us all differently — sparking that creative juice in different ways,” said Whitfield. “My project was hands on: what’s it like to be an arts administrator, managing people, getting times set up, the music and, of course, the bigger picture of actually dancing!”
The dancers met some amazing people in Brazil. Whitfield formed a connection with a young Brazilian girl who gave her a teddy bear, and the two still keep in touch, despite the language barrier.
“All in all, it’s the people that make the place,” said Whitfield. “Everyone we met in Brazil was so giving of themselves, and to see how much they cared about us after such a short period of time was incredible. Since dance was a large part of the culture already, you could just see on their faces the pure joy that dancing gives them, which made us happy, too. We all love to dance, and it was beautiful to be a part of that exchange.”
By Molly Kime, ASC Communications Student
