Many students in college focus diligently on classes and programs within their major, rather than branching out and taking coursework for their own pleasure and enjoyment.
CSULB student Katelyn Catt posing outside
of her beginning hip-hop class in the CSULB
dance center.
Photo Credit: CSULB student Jaime Gargas
Katelyn Catt, 20, is a second year English major at CSULB. While she focuses on her studies, she believes in always finding time to have fun and explore new ventures. Catt was looking to add a little more fun into her normal school routine, while also getting some exercise at the same time. Catt enrolled in beginner’s hip-hop in the CSULB dance department to see how it would go, and has had no regrets since.
“It hasn’t been hard to have this class while doing my general education,” said Catt. “I don’t think it’d be hard to take while taking my English courses either. If anything, it’s more of a break from school than an actual class. I get to relax and let go for that hour and 50 minutes – our teacher doesn’t judge us on how well we dance, but on how much effort we put into learning.”
While the class acts as more of a break from school rather than strict coursework, it does take up time that could be utilized in achieving the ultimate goal: graduation.
“I am debating taking more classes in the future,” said Catt. “Mostly because I am trying to get as many of my English courses taken care of as quickly as I can to graduate quicker. However, if I had an open slot, there’s a dance class that’s all about reading people’s body language – I would totally make room to take that class.”
Catt believes in balancing what you want to do, with things and classes that you normally wouldn’t do. College is a time to explore new ventures and try things that you may never have the opportunity to do in the future. She encourages students to partake in dance classes and let go of any insecurities or unsure feelings.
“I would say go for it,” said Catt. “This dance class is so fun, and there are a variety of people in it. Out of a class of around 50, only five really students know how to dance well, so you don’t have to feel uncomfortable about not being the best. Just go to have fun and get loose. Everyone has a good time, the teacher is super cool, and the music is pretty awesome too.”
The dance department offers classes to non-majors in a variety of forms such as African, flamenco, Pointe ballet, and even viewing classes. These dance classes are usually only 1-2 units, making it easy for students who are concerned with it interfering with their normal course of study, and often have live musicians playing music.
Now that the some of the common misconceptions have been tackled, get out there and take advantage of all of the classes that your school has to offer; try something new, and you may just surprise yourself.
With the Masters of Fine Arts Concert already only one month away, Heather Glabe is making all of the necessary preparations and sacrifices for the piece, while still managing to have some fun.
Last time we spoke with Glabe, there was still a minute left to learn in the piece she’ll be performing in, The Art of Breathing. She was feeling anxious and excited about performing in the MFA Concert, and not too much has changed. The anxious feelings are still there, but Glabe described an overwhelming surge of confidence as the concert draws nearer. This in part could be because of the dance’s quick and positive progress.
A photo of the Cal State Long Beach dance center,
which includes the Martha B. Knoebel Dance
Theater, seven studios, and an assortment
of other spaces. Photo Credit: Nichole Hamilton.
“The dance is finally finished!,” said Glabe. “What Jessica is now going to have to do is go back through the piece and really develop it. You have to make the whole work connect from the beginning to end.”
While the dancers managing to complete that last minute of the dance in under a month is astonishing, even more so is Glabe’s composure. When asked about any nerves or jitters regarding her performance, Glabe remained calm and collected.
“I'm actually feeling quite confident actually about this upcoming concert,” said Glabe. “The most challenging part of this dance in particular is that there are 16 dancers in the cast. This means that sometimes the spacing can be challenging when onstage. Hopefully we'll get enough rehearsals on the actual Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater stage, where the concert takes place, so that it won't be a problem. “
While Glabe is dedicating herself completely to the piece, she’ll be utilizing her time off from school for Spring Break to head back to her hometown of San Francisco for a mix of work, and play.
“I’m so excited - there are no rehearsals for this piece over Spring Break,” said Glabe. “I'm going to be going up to San Francisco on Friday to attend a rehearsal on Saturday for a show that I have coming up in June. It’s going to be so much fun because I miss all of my San Francisco friends. I'll also be using this time to work on my own choreography, and my next project for the next MFA concert in the fall."
Glabe is utilizing her time to perfect her dancing, while using her break to take some much needed time off. Glabe has numerous practices, costume fittings, and dress rehearsals in the coming weeks, so keep following to see how Glabe deals with the pressure as the concert draws nearer.
The MFA Dance Concert 2011 runs from April 28-30 in the Martha B. Knoebel dance theater, located near the Walter Pyramid, on campus. The above link provides more detailed information on ticket purchase information, and the times available.
While some students spend their college careers intensely trying to understand mathematics or political science, some choose to spend it partaking in a physical practice that challenges them in an entirely different way.
Heather Glabe, 29, is a CSULB graduate student who is hoping to further develop as a dance artist and teacher. The UCSB alum has been dancing for 18 years, and attained her bachelor’s degree in dance, along with her bachelor’s degree in communication. Along with taking the necessary courses to attain her third degree, she is currently an assistant teacher in the beginning ballet class that the department offers to non-majors.
Glabe began dancing at a young age, and was always drawn to ballet. With that being said, Heather doesn’t hesitate to expand her dance vocabulary and challenge herself with something new.
“Most of my focus when I was young was in ballet,” said Glabe. “I loved it, and took classes almost exclusively in ballet at a small studio in Irvine. I've also taken a few jazz classes, and performed jazz in High School, where I was also introduced to modern dance. I now consider modern dance to be my main focus, because it’s more open than ballet in terms of movement vocabulary. Still, my ballet training is important to me, and compliments my modern dance practice [since the two techniques go together]. I danced professionally as a modern dancer for several companies in San Francisco, and loved it.”
While Glabe is a veteran dancer who has vast knowledge in her field, what drew her to the field to begin with? Many choose dance as a hobby or something to do simply for fun, but for Heather, dance means much more.
“Dance was not easy for me to choose, but I figured out that I need to dance,” said Glabe. “If I don't dance, then I truly get depressed and it takes me a couple of weeks to realize the reason: I literally feel bad because I'm not dancing. Even though it’s a constant struggle, dance is an amazing art form. Dance is a physical practice, so it takes me out of my overactive head and allows me to feel life through my body. Overall, dance is fun, and it takes me to a place of pure joy.”
Now that we all know a little about Heather, we’ll be following the journey that she is embarking on for the remainder of her semester at CSULB as she completes her first of three years. The graduate students in the dance program participate in a show known as the MFA Dance Concert that takes place each semester, and this semester, Heather is performing. Not only are there only 10 graduate dance students total, but the concert is entirely choreographed and performed by them. This show is very important to everyone in the dance department, because it is truly the culmination of their efforts, and their time to display all of the hard work they’ve put in throughout the semester.
Glabe is excited and anxious to perform in the concert as a performer, and shared some information on the piece she’ll be taking part in.
“I'm performing in a piece called The Art of Breathing choreographed by Jessica Kondrath,” said Glabe. “The piece is nearly finished with only about a minute left to go. At this point in the process, we are going back to the earlier material and playing with it to see how various options and arrangements affect the piece. We rehearse three times a week for about two hours at a time, and usually we rehearse in studios but last night we rehearsed onstage so that we can get a sense of how to space ourselves.”
While there is a lot of hard work and dedication she’s mustering up for this performance, she’s determined to make it a great one. Stay tuned to follow Heather’s progress, face her challenges, and get to know the CSULB dancer more in depth.
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This video, titled "3 Girl Glitch-Hop Dance," was a performance Heather did with her company Vispo that she founded a few years back.
Drama, passion, and technique - three elements that made up The 2011 Contemporary Dance Concert at California State University Long Beach.
The CSULB dance department put their undergraduate dancers on display at the concert that ran from Thursday Feb. 24 through the 27. The concert contained 9 works total, and all of the pieces were choreographed by the same students that were performing in the show. The dancers put their blood, sweat, and tears into each dance, and unveiled the culmination of their efforts to the audience; and many were impressed.
Jimmy Cabrera, a communications major who was formerly a dance minor, attended the concert for his intermediate modern dance class.
"Overall this dance concert differed greatly from past concerts I’ve attended here at CSULB," said Cabrera. "It was much longer in duration, and had a much more serious tone throughout. Each piece in this concert was choreographed by the undergraduate dance majors, but the creativity and heart that was poured into each of the works was on par with that of the faculty dance concerts."
While it was an impressive show all around, of course specific dances stood out to some more than others. The concert really had something for everyone, with the occasional light-hearted piece, and much more darker pieces. While they were all unique and touched everyone differently, Cabrera couldn't help but pick favorites.
"A few pieces really stood out to me," said Cabrera. "One piece that stood out was 'The Blame Game,' choreographed by Yu Kondo and inspired by Edward Albee’s play ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.’ It was a dark and twisted somatic representation of his classic story, and Kondo clearly and cleverly translated a complex piece of literature into the language of movement- quite a challenge for any artist."
While he was drawn toward “The Blame Game,” he couldn’t help but gush about another piece that really touched him.
“Momoko Ishikawa created an abstract piece entitled ‘F = G(Mm/r2),’” said Cabrera. “It was an all male dance about Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, and every movement phrase made complete sense in my own interpretation. I could see the logic behind Ishikawa’s decisions throughout the dance and in the end it was perfectly satisfying. There were orbits and cosmic disruptions which are typically stuff of which dance is made. The strength of this dance concert was all about these young, budding artists taking risks and showing an individual perspective to their eager audience.”
The 2011 Contemporary Dance Concert was a success, and made fans of many who had never witnessed live dance before. While the dancers had to put in immense amounts of rehearsal, the concert debuted all of the hard-work that went on behind the scenes, and truly was an artistic display to remember.
