Dance Studio Reduces Hours
Due to recent administrative measures to ensure student safety, dance clubs are not permitted to practice in the dance studio of the Davis Center at nights or during the weekends. Director and dance instructor Allison Duke notified the dance club heads in an email of the new plan and potential solutions for each group. Many dancers expressed stress, frustration and confusion over the sudden changes.
In addition, students can’t rehearse in the theatre or work in art studios without adult supervision.
On Thursday Oct. 20, Duke emailed dance club heads to bring awareness to the “campus-wide cultural shift” that impacted all of the groups that use Davis on as a rehearsal space. In order to prevent situations that could put any student in danger, unsupervised spaces on campus are prohibited to be used by clubs. “As a community we are trying to reduce student activity in unsupervised spaces,” she said.
Chief Financial Officer David Hanson explained that over the past year, the Academy instituted an Institutional Risk Management program to examine risk across campus according to likelihood and severity. The school has five committees assigned to different categories of risks, including risks related to student safety and having an “open campus.” Factors such as routine adult supervision and location affect the level of risk on certain building on campus. “Our main goal is to prevent injuries from occurring. Student safety is of utmost importance to everyone on campus,” he said.
“I think the administration had good intentions overall, but they could have handled how they supervised our space better because so many people rely on it.”
In order to continue traditions such as pep rally and dance assembly performances, Duke worked with the Athletics Department to provide a temporary solution for the rest of fall term. Clubs that used Davis on Sundays such as Lionettes, Poms, In Motion and Shakti, will join Imani and Abs in using Squash Court #10 in the gym until Nov. 6. “I know this space is less than ideal, but for the interim, it will suffice,” she said. Duke emphasized that these changes are not consequences of “misuse of the space” and should not be taken personally by the dancers. She said that she will be meeting with the administration this week to follow up with more information to clarify the situation and hopefully construct a plan for winter term.
Lower Paula Coraspe, a member of Lionettes and Poms, voiced concern over the changes. “When I heard about the Davis situation, obviously, I was disappointed and sad because I use that space a lot for clubs and for Dance Company.” Coraspe added, “I think the administration had good intentions overall, but they could have handled how they supervised our space better because so many people rely on it.”
Many of the club heads felt that the administration failed to solve the solution because they did not provide a safer area that would serve the needs of the clubs. Senior Jaden Wood said that as a participant of several clubs that practiced in Davis and a choreographer for the end-of-term dance concerts, the restrictions of time and space will result in unnecessary stress and risks for dancers. Without mirrors, dancers cannot check their proper body position and placement, and the marley floor in the dance studio helped accustom performers to the texture of the floors that they perform on during the dance assemblies. She also said that the size of a squash court is “not safe enough for dancers to execute difficult moves on the hardwood floors and in the walled in space,” especially for groups such as Poms and Shakti that require room to execute large movements.
Although dancers were grateful for at least having a squash court to practice on, senior Kesi Wilson elaborated on additional problems. Squash is a winter sport, so this arrangement will only last until the end of fall term. However, many athletes practice on the courts year-round, making it difficult for both groups of squash players and dancers to work to their full potential. “Playing music in the courts is hard because groups receive complaints from those playing squash that the music is distracting, although we both have the permission to be there,” Wilson said.
Senior Ore Solanke, member of Abs, Imani, Poms and Precision, felt frustrated from the beginning of the year because all of the dance groups only had the dance studio in Davis. Before spending a year off campus with the School Year Abroad program, most of the dance clubs she performed with practiced in the Thompson Gym.
Once the school constructed the new fitness center, interim Director of Dance Sarah Duclos worked with dance clubs to work in Davis or the wrestling room. Now, dance clubs have to make more adjustments that affect the future of the clubs until the Center for Theater and Dance is completed. “I don’t really know where or when else it would be possible for the dance clubs to practice, but I really wish that the administration understood what it took to organize all of this,” she said. Wilson agreed with Solanke, saying that many school-wide events such as pep rally would not be the same.“We take time out of our schedules to choreograph, teach, learn, perfect and perform these dances,” Wilson said.
Wood urged the administration to work with the dance community to find a better solution as soon as possible and to consider the students this change has affected. She also mentioned the recent and similar changes that the administration implemented in Fisher Theater and the Lamont Art Gallery that have affected many students. “I understand why the administration made this decision, but it’s obvious that they did not give much thought about how this will affect the many dance clubs who meet there. They did not come up with an adequate solution,” she said. “Previously, I haven’t seen a lot of thought given for dancers by the administration.” Coraspe agreed, saying she was “not very surprised” that the administration had not provided a long-term solution.
Wilson said that she plans to meet with Duke, Principal Lisa MacFarlane and a few fellow dancers about this decision. “I disagree with the actions of the administration, and I would like the chance to convey that in a direct and formal way,” she said. Wood stressed the importance of addressing the issue as a larger problem that does not have to rely on the responsibility of the dance instructors. “It also pains me to see how much stress has been placed on Ms. Duke and Ms. Darling who have had to face the outrage of this dilemma head on and have been forced to desperately find a temporary solution,” she said.
Duke hoped that the dance clubs and the dance department will work together to create long-term solutions that can ensure safety and benefit for the dance community. “I think the most important thing to remember is that we are all a community and on the same team. Although the logistics are less than ideal right now, and have direct impact on student groups at the moment, in the big picture, the Academy is acting in everyone’s best interest.”