Club Spotlight: Échappé
By GRACE YANG, and EILENA DING
The sounds of pointe shoes tapping against the Marley dance floor echo, ballerinas filling the studio in Goel. Their elegant gestures mirror professional ballerinas’ YouTube classes projected onto the walls. These dancers are in Échappé, a ballet club on campus, offering conditioning and strength technique training for diverse levels of passionate dancers. Échappé is a highly inclusive club fit for every ballerina.
“Through Échappé, we’re trying to convey the idea that everyone is made for ballet, there’s no correct or ideal of a dance body. Having fun is very important,” said Senior Stella Song, co-head of Échappé, expressing her goals to provide a supportive environment for Exonian ballerinas.
Échappé puts an emphasis on ballet over other dance forms. “Although ballet is performed in the Exeter Dance Company, many dancers with either a strong ballet background or interest in ballet wish to share their passion in a more focused environment.” said senior Isa Serna, co-head of Échappé and an involved member of the dance company on campus.
Song added, “We definitely have many dancers who have ballet experience, but we also have dancers that just want to dance.” Serna added, “It’s usually dancers that enjoy ballet and the dance company, but there are many dancers who want to get better at ballet who are in lower levels of dance too. Anyone can join.”
Performance opportunities are the most desirable goal for dance clubs. However, Échappé’s presence on stage has shifted throughout the years at Exeter. Four years ago, Échappé performed at the Dance Assembly, presenting an iconic piece of humorous, twisted version of The Four Little Swans, which received many compliments from the community.
“It depends on the year and the term, but sometimes we’ll choreograph and perform in the dance showcases and work with anyone in the club who is interested,” Serna elaborated. The trend of the club’s appearance on stage has significantly decreased, however—as the focus of the club shifted towards conditioning and bar classes, many students who were intimidated by performing felt more comfortable joining the club. “I guess a lot of people are afraid of ballet, so Isa and I aim to encourage people to embrace ballet.” Song summarized her hopes to bring to the club. “I think conditioning days have been really fun, it really helps with bonding within the club.”
Song recalled, “Last term, we did a core workout to Maria Khoreva’s video which really challenged everyone. But we had so much fun, and we were very encouraging during the repetitions. There were many returning students after that session.”
The tight-knit community of the club fosters a welcoming environment as their strong bond significantly influences students within the club. “In my Prep year, I joined Échappé because of two seniors that I really admired,” Serna reminisced. “Carrying down their legacy and picking up the responsibility of Échappé is really special to me.”
“It’s nice to have a casual space to do ballet because I think that ballet is frequently very strict, and it’s a comfortable environment to do that,” described lower Austen Magary, a member of the club.
Through the constant drilling of challenging workouts, many students enjoyed the thrill of muscular buildups assisting the elegance of ballet’s movements. Overall, Échappé is a club filled with passionate dancers of all levels who hope to engage their love on Exeter’s campus. Échappé encourages every dancer with a passion for ballet at any level to dance their heart away.