“Seeing their peers progress and having their progress witnessed is truly gratifying for each student. This in turn helps their mental health, strengthens their connections to other humans, and eases the pressure they put on themselves both academically and socially,” says Gina T'ai, an associate professor in the Performing and Applied Arts department, says of the dance program.

Dance at Beloit College is snugly nestled alongside theatre (technical and performance) and music in a newly-minted Perforating and Applied Arts department (PART). This integrated academic major/minor weaves together theory and practice through a dynamic course of study, foregrounding exploration, reflection, and meaningful practice. In keeping with the mission of a liberal arts education, students are supported In exploring and creating ways of knowing and being, thriving in the negotiated spaces between individual and community, as well as the past, present, and future of the arts.

We produce two plays a year (established or devised), Chelonia Dance Concert, and multiple music ensemble concerts. Chelonia Dance Concert features student choreography, as well as work by faculty and guest artists, all performed by current students. Being in technique class is always preferred, but is not required. Students that audition for and are cast in Chelonia range from beginners to advanced.

When I started teaching at Beloit College in the fall of 2009, I knew I had found my place. Beloiters are known for being “quirky.” If a student in high school felt they were an “outsider,” chances are they are on the inside at Beloit. I identify with that and with them. As an alumna of the Milwaukee High School of the Arts (under the tutelage of Dean Drews, Lisa Sherman-Colt, and Jennifer Toth), I took my dance training very seriously. I went on to the California Institute of the Arts, and later transferred to and graduated from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA (BA and MFA). In each stage of my formal education, I became hyper aware of which teachers wanted to mold us into versions of themselves and which were dedicated to helping each student blossom as unique artists.

Perhaps due to my own “quirks,” I was ostensibly unmoldable. I dance to the beat of my own drummer, and that beat is strong and steady. I knew that if I were ever to teach, which teacher I wanted to be.

My teaching is rooted in the philosophy and practice of mutual mentorship, which was introduced to me by my grad school colleague and former Paul Taylor dancer, Ruth Andrien. Mutual mentorship is the idea that no matter the level or experiences of the students in class, we all have something to teach each other and something to learn from one another. This is the guiding principle in all of my technique and performance courses. Mutual mentorship gives students the confidence in themselves to know that their observations and feedback are a valuable learning tool for all class participants.

Especially in these years following COVID-I9 protocols, dance has helped students to find their footing in community, counteracting the effects of many hours spent online and in isolation. The disengagement and loneliness that students are coming in with can be assuaged by a supportive environment and safe risks. My focus is creating a culture of community that gently supports and aims for zero tolerance for judgment (for yourself or others) and space for experiencing joy in each other’s successes and moments of growth. It’s a mindfulness practice, a challenge for students to be present without screens, and truly see each other and themselves. Success is each student pushing themselves to rise to the goals they’ve set for themselves and the vision their peers and I have for them. This gets everyone committed to the success of every other member of the class.

This applies to the student choreography as well. Dancing for and with each other, the students help each other bring their visions to the stage. There is no singular Beloit style. The students don’t want their work to look like their peer’s work, but of course they influence each other. In this way, they push each other and themselves as artists.

Seeing their peers progress and having their progress witnessed is truly gratifying for each student. This in turn helps their mental health, strengthens their connections to other humans, and eases the pressure they put on themselves both academically and socially. There was a running joke this past semester about what the “stakes” were in class. I would ask, “What are the stakes?” They would respond, “There are no stakes!” Letting them know that there is nothing riding on how well they execute a particular move and phrase of movement was freeing and actually enabled them to perform better. When the stakes get lowered, the pressure eases and they can all be mindfully present. Dance (and PART) classes are life skills classes on how to engage in physical society by relating to each other and communicating in a structured way, using dance as the medium to help them in their journey.

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Gina T’ai is an associate professor of Performing and Applied Arts at Beloit College, where she’s been on faculty since 2009. She holds both a BA and an MFA in dance from Hollins University. She has presented her live work and Screendances nationally and internationally. She has presented and published research at NDEO, the Congress on Research in Dance, in the journals Dance Education in Practice, and the Journal of Dance Education, and in Contact Quarterly.