Joyful Jaden
For three-year senior Jaden Wood, art has never been just a hobby, but rather a crucial outlet in her life through which she expresses her emotions, shares her experiences and lets off steam. In her time at Exeter, Wood has established herself not only as one of the strongest artists and dancers in the Exeter community, but also as a valued friend and role model. Wood’s love for dance shows through her commitments: she is a co-head of various clubs on campus, including the Lionettes Dance Team and Dancing with Exonians, of which she is the founder. Wood’s peers describe her as a “natural-born leader” who is “bright,” “compassionate” and “hardworking.”
As a day student from Atkinson, New Hampshire, Wood first heard about the private school experience from a friend, and she was enthralled by the genuine Exonian passion for learning. “A lot of people look at Exeter as just a stepping stone to getting into a good college, but that wasn’t even on my mind. I didn’t plan everything. I just wanted to come here and get a better education,” she said.
Despite Exeter’s rigorous academic curriculum, however, Wood was skeptical of the arts program at first and did not join Exeter’s dance company until spring term of her lower year. As an experienced competitive dancer, Wood initially had difficulty adjusting to the major differences between the Exonian dance company and the intensive practices she had been used to in her previous dance studios.
Wood attributes her eventual change in perspective and newfound optimism to the motivation she received from senior Exonian dancers, many of whom were not only performers but choreographers as well. “I used to feel like a soldier in competitive dance because you always needed to look and act the same. It’s easy to get lost in that. It was so interesting to be in an environment where I saw a student instead of a teacher find their way and show their own style,” Wood said. She was so intrigued by the idea of being both a performer and a creator in the art discipline that, come senior year, Wood was inspired to try her own hand at choreography.
She is now recognized in the Exeter dance company as a gifted choreographer, particularly in the genre of contemporary dance which theater and dance instructor Allison Duke describes as “a fusion of many disciplines — jazz, modern, ballet and even some hip hop.” Wood enjoys the technical flexibility that contemporary dance offers her as a choreographer. “Sometimes I like the way that dance moves can look ugly. Since there kind of aren’t any rules in contemporary, it’s more fun for me and it’s easier to express what I’m trying to get across through my pieces,” she said.
Duke described Jaden’s choreography as “dynamic.” “When Jaden is dancing in the studio or onstage, she expresses what is too precious to say in words,” Duke said. Wood describes herself as “a strong believer in choreography that tells a story.” She has found that “expressing something and showing that you’re feeling the music and feeling the story makes a performance so much better.” Others who have performed in or witnessed Wood’s choreography agree that the messages Wood tries to convey through her performances are what make her pieces so powerful. “Her choreography is very expressive. She lets her emotions shine through her pieces, and it’s beautiful to watch,” senior Kelsey Detels said.
Music instructor and Wood’s advisor Rohan Smith believes that, despite the heavy time commitment required to be such a dedicated artist, Wood’s passion for dance has actually helped her to thrive in Exeter’s busy and potentially stressful climate. “Jaden’s art is a zone that she always seems to have protected. She’s never made any compromises with it. I think that dance has always been a sort of oasis of calm in her life,” he said. “Students at Exeter can very easily get swept into the bigness of this place. It’s really important to have these small, individual connections with people and with certain things that you care for, like dance.”
Wood now uses her multi-faceted dance experience to give back, both in and out of the Exeter community. As one of this year’s dance captains, Wood has made it her goal to increase the level of interest and appreciation that Exonians harbor for dance. “It’s sad that there’s been so little interest in going to the dance concerts because I know how much work goes into it. But it also feels really rewarding to know that what I’ve been doing is working because more people are coming and more people want to be in the dance company,” she said. Wood has also made it a priority to foster a supportive atmosphere amongst the dancers and boost morale. Lower Abby Zhang felt that Jaden’s nurturing attitude has strengthened the dance team. “Jaden has made me appreciate dance at Exeter more. She’s always there for us and encourages us to give it our all and make the most of the dance program here,” Zhang said.
Furthermore, Wood was previously involved in various ESSO clubs like Harris Family Children’s Center Dance and the Youth Dance Ensemble, in which she taught dance to children in the local community. In the summer of her lower year, Wood also participated in an ESSO trip to Camphill Callan, a community in Ireland for adults with special needs, where she worked with other Exonian dancers to organize dance classes. “It was really interesting and eye-opening to see how movement could make them so happy,” she said. “My idea of dance when I first started was ballet — everyone needed to be the same and you spent hours trying to perfect the smallest things. But there I realized that dancing can be as broad as simply moving and expressing yourself, no matter how it looks.”
Despite the end of her Exeter career drawing near, Wood admits that she is still unsure about what exactly she envisions for herself in the future. “I just want to get out there and start doing something. I want to be an advocate for change, and I’ll definitely try my hardest to make things better in whatever small ways I can manage. Hopefully, once I find my path, I’ll be able to make bigger moves,” she said. But if there’s one thing Wood is absolutely certain about, it is that her art will continue to be a precious and integral part of her life. “I need art, whether it’s choreographing, painting, or drawing on my walls. I just don’t know how someone could live without having some way to express themselves and make something that’s either meaningful to them or to other people.”