Community, Collaboration, and Creativity for Every Body

Participating in the arts, whether music, dance, painting, sculpture, or any other act of creative expression, has been shown to benefit students in all aspects of their education. Majors in math, biology, English, history, and all other subjects find that being active in the arts makes them better problem solvers, creative thinkers, and overall better students.

Dance, in particular, reenergizes the body and brain, builds confidence and helps students learn responsibility, persistence, communication skills, grit, and accountability — valuable life skills that will prove beneficial to anyone in their personal and professional lives.

Dance Ensemble, a 2-credit course offered in the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, is open to all students regardless of major and encourages creative expression in a collaborative and diverse environment. 

“Students consistently express that Dance Ensemble is one of the highlights of their Grinnell College experience,” says Celeste Miller, associate professor. “In this course we build community, support creative expression in ourselves and others, and grow as individuals in areas of collaboration skills, creativity, and leadership. “

In the fall semester, Dance Ensemble works on a Community Engaged Learning project with a community partner. For the past two falls, Dance Ensemble has created a series of "Dancing Storytime" events for the local library. Each spring, the ensemble creates a fully produced performance that is presented at the end of the semester.

As Dance Ensemble may be repeated for eight semesters some students participate for their full four years at Grinnell and build a strong and diverse community of friends. With classes ranging in size from eight to 25 students in a given semester, fewer than half of participants are dance majors.

“Dance Ensemble is an essential part of a liberal arts experience,” says Miller. “Whether you are majoring in a humanities or science field — you are appreciated and valued as an individual who can contribute richly to the world around you, as you develop and grow as a contributing member of a whole larger than yourself.” 

“When I dance, I am speaking with the words of my body,” explains Obuchi Adikema ’21, an alumna from Philadelphia who graduated with a double major in computer science and dance. “I have access to all of the brains inside my muscles and my bones. I dance to tell the stories that I can’t articulate yet. Dancing is my way of initiating dialogue with my body, and performing brings other people into the conversation.”