By Eliana Li ’26
“Dance is made to be experienced live,” Choate Dance Program Head Ms. Pamela Newell said. On Saturday, November 4, Ms. Newell and eight members of the Choate Dance Company traveled to Connecticut College in New London to watch Mr. David Dorfman’s (A)Way out of My Body, a story depicting life and death; fragility and joy; and trauma and resilience. Through this experience, students had the opportunity to learn from professional dancers during both the behind-the-scenes rehearsal and live performance.
Ms. Newell and several students sat in on one of Mr. Dorfman’s rehearsals for the production on October 18. “It’s really neat to be able to see all the professional dancers work. It’s so much different from what we [do] at Choate,” Choate dancer Arissa Lee ’25 said. “I come from a ballet background where there’s very much a right and a wrong, but in David Dorfman’s more contemporary and modern style, he let them have their own way of working out the movement.”
Having been a professional dancer, Ms. Newell enjoyed the opportunity to be back in a professional studio and observe someone else’s process. “He really dives into his own life and experiences and at the same time. It doesn’t feel self-indulgent; it doesn’t feel like it’s all about him,” she said. “He’s able to use his own experiences and make it connect to our universal struggles or joys or successes.” Ms. Newell aims to incorporate this way of forming connections with others in the studio in her own work.
A week after the trip to observe the rehearsal, students returned to watch the live performance. The 1.5-hour long production left a lasting impression on many students.
Addy Hawthorne ’27 was particularly struck by the innovative use of lighting, music, and different colors. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a performance with that kind of lighting before,” she said.
Ms. Newell agreed, adding that “the lighting was very striking and very specific, which made the performance very magical. It wasn’t overpowering and it was very much integrated well with the performance.” The use of lighting and music shaped the mood and tone of each moment, complementing performers’ efforts to tell an emotional story.
Dance Company Co-President Marissa Jacobs ’24 said her favorite part of the performance was the music. “It was super dynamic, super well integrated, and along with the little elements in the piece, like the lighting and vocal aspects, I think that the music added so much [to the piece.]”
The performance provided a glimpse into the intricacies of professional dance and exposed audiences to the depths of expression and connection that dance has to offer. “I’m just so grateful that I got to bring them to watch live dance again,” Ms. Newell said. “I think since the pandemic, being able to see live dance, the explosiveness of the dancers’ movement, and the raw physicality and interdependence of all the dancers really just made me happy.”
