“Dance facilitates a space for students to feel, think, speak, and move with their curiosities and interests,” says Kevin Williamson, assistant professor of dance at Scripps. “Students learn deeply about their embodied experiences, their understanding of the world and their place in it.”
The dance program at Scripps College provides our students with a valuable means of creative self-expression and communication as part of a greater liberal arts education. Dance allows individuals to learn from their bodies, better understand their senses, and develop individual voices. By graduation, students create original choreography and manage their performance recitals. Whether they take one class or major in dance, our students benefit from the innovative faculty and collaboration among their peers.
One word that many have used to describe the dance program is “open.” Faculty and staff work with students to develop a curriculum that is well-suited to their interests. By participating in dance, students can double major or take on additional minors. Dance is a multidisciplinary program at Scripps. Students are encouraged to take both performance and theory courses, enriching their understanding of dance and the production of culture. Several courses focus on somatics, concentrating on the psychophysical experience of the body and one’s perception of self in the world. Faculty also strive to infuse social justice into every course – enhancing student awareness, critical inquiry, and community engagement. There is a diverse range of courses and experiences available with the goal of deepening students’ creative and expressive potential.
The College’s current dance facility consists of one 20-student capacity studio space and an adjacent trailer with a single dressing room. Reservation time in the studio space is maxed out—students, faculty, and staff use the facilities more than 75 hours a week for classes, rehearsals, club meetings, and workshops. The limited space makes recruiting prospective dance students a challenge.
Scripps seeks a named gift of $4 million to begin construction of a new dance center and studio space. The total projected building cost is approximately $8 million. Thanks to the generous support from trustee Nancy Katayama ’77 and other alumnae, families, and friends, we are halfway to our goal.
To make a gift to dance or our other campaign priorities, contact our Major Gifts team at (909) 607-8028 or click here to give and select Other > Dance.
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