The Art of Dance Reborn at Harvard

The Radcliffe Dance Program has been the object of both criticism and praise from the students who have had the chance to experience programs offered by this branch of Harvard's performing arts department. Participating students criticize primarily for its lack of rehearsal space allocated for dance classes.

Laura Freidenfelds '94 of the Mainly Jazz Dance Company said that although the Office For the Arts is trying to do something about the lack of performance area, there has not been much progress in that direction. She adds, however, "I don't blame the OFA [Office For the Arts] for the lack of space. It's just because there are so many performances in Agassiz that we [Mainly Jazz Company] are able to use the space for performance only once a year." She called it a pity that an established dance company can only use the best performance stage [Agassiz Theater] only once a year. She also expressed her belief that if there is such limited space for performance, "our students should be using it all the time," and guest artists should use it less.

Freidenfelds said that although there are several dance spaces in Eliot, the Harvard Union and Cabot House, these spaces are restricted in size and caliber, even for practice sessions. She mentioned that she understands that the Dance department is "struggling with this problem" and hopes that they can find a way out of this constraining dance space problem.

Talya Salant '95, a Harvard ballerina who works with professional companies in Boston, has another point of view. Salant draws attention to the fact that the performing arts in general at Harvard are not given as much emphasis as academics or athletics. The Dance Program, in particular, she feels, is "neglected and embarrassing."

Salant expressed her discontent with the present state of the Dance Program. "In the first place, [the Dance Program] is not officially associated with Harvard since it's the Radcliffe Dance Program. Also, ballet is really secondary to other dance styles like modern, and we really don't have full-time faculty. The facilities they provide for us could be good if they cared enough to maintain the floors and make sure we have enough bars. [These are] just little things that show that they care about us that aren't there. It is slightly discouraging because I want to stay on campus and dance, but I feel compelled to leave campus to get what I need [in the form of off-campus classes], and that shouldn't be the case."

She said that the facilities could be good, but that despite having the beautiful Radcliffe Gymnasium, they've covered the floor only half way and made a lot of compromises. "We feel like we are asking too much of them," Salant explained. "There used to be four bars, but now there's only one. It feels like there is a lack of communication and it's frustrating. It feels like they are really not interested. I love Harvard, I love the academics and I'm not going to leave Harvard because of this ballet. I don't want to sound down on Harvard at all, because I'm not. [But] maybe Harvard will never be able to satisfy me."

When asked if she expected Harvard to cater to such high levels of dance training, Salant answered, "No, I mean there aren't very many people here at such high levels, so it would be unfair of me to ask them to provide classes just for my sake, but I do think that Harvard could subsidize dance lessons outside Harvard if one is qualified and interested, just like they do for the voice and instrument programs through the Office For the Arts. I think that is a legitimate claim." Thus, although Salant feels that it is a well-meaning Program, the Dance Department needs to show a little more enthusiasm and provide greater care for the upkeep of facilities in its department.

There seems to be a consensus that the space provided by the Radcliffe Dance Program needs to be expanded by some means. It remains to be seen whether or not the Dance Department can cope with the growing needs of the students of dance at Harvard.

The Crimson recently spoke with Talya Salant '95, one of Harvard's most prominent ballerinas. She had definite opinions about her life, dancing and the future of dance at Harvard.

Q: How does ballet fit into your life, growing up and now?

A: I've been doing dance all my life, and it's something that has always been a big dichotomy in my life because I have wanted to go to school, but I have also wanted to do ballet. I grew up in Newton, and one of the reasons I wanted to come to Harvard was because I knew the area, I knew places to go. I didn't have to be dependent on the school that I [attended] to get my fulfillment in dance, because no college you go to can provide you with a sufficient dance department if you're that serious.

I have and am dancing professionally under contract with a company called the Ballet Theater of Boston. I danced in high school, performed the Nutcracker and, this past summer, I danced with them under contract. I am going to take time off school to dance.

Q: When did you start dancing?

A: I started dancing when I was four, but it's been on and off for me. Dancers get injured so easily. I had one serious injury, and I didn't dance all of my senior year of high school--that is what made me decide to come to school. If I had danced all year, I would have auditioned and taken time off even before I came to Harvard. Last year I was coming back from a year off and had recurring injuries, and couldn't really take this year off because I was still recuperating. So hopefully by this spring when all the companies hold their auditions, I will be ready.

Q: When you were in high school, how did you juggle such intensive ballet and academics at the same time? Wasn't there a conflict?

A: I had to make a lot of sacrifices...I mean it's the same here at Harvard. The only difference is that now I can schedule my classes around my dance schedule. But even that's kind of frustrating because it limits what classes I can take if they conflict with ballet classes. It's hard because most people don't have this problem.

Q: Who did you learn under? Who were your teachers?

A: I started with private teachers, but it depends from person to person. I could have taken lessons at the Boston Ballet, but I didn't. I don't have a specific teacher now. I just take classes. I have reached a level where the next step is a career. It's not as if anyone is training me; I have to take [my past] training and do something about it.

Q: Do you plan to teach?

A: Teachers are usually dancers who can't dance any more, and when I can't dance any more, I'll become a doctor.

Q: A doctor! So you plan to juggle careers all your life?

A: I am a biology concentrator, and am planning to go into medicine. I am going to have a career other than ballet. I am going to have multiple careers [laughs]. That's hard too, because a lot of kids who are bio. concentrators or premed are planning their summers [according to their academic goals]. But my summers and my extra-curricular time are so completely different from what I do at school that it's really hard for me to devote extra time to school when I devote all my extra time to ballet.

Q: So, will you pursue dance even in medical school?

A: I will always be a dancer, at least in my heart, but a dancer's career is so short, and in the late 20s you're considered over-the-hill. Academics is different, it's always there, I can always go to medical school. I can always study. I can't always dance. It's really a unique situation and a lot of people probably don't appreciate it as much as if they knew how limited your time is.

Q: Do you feel handicapped in any way relative to your friends or do you feel satisfied with your dual career?

A: My roommates are really well-rounded people. They do all these extracurriculars, belong to all these papers and stuff. Last year when I did the Nutcracker, I danced with all these people for whom dance is their career. This is all they do. That's a full life for them--and I still have school. That's why I feel like I am compromising both school and ballet right now. This is because I want to devote myself solely to one or the other, and I'm not doing that right now. I hope to do just ballet during my year off.

Q: Are you going to make any big decisions during your year off? Are you going to return to Harvard?

A: I really want to see if [ballet] is really what I want to do, and if I'm satisfied with that kind of life.

Q: Do you have any idols?

A: Obviously I see many dancers, but I don't have any idol in particular. I just want to do what they do--strictly classical ballet, although a lot of companies are requiring a more rounded dancing experience, more modern dance and stuff.

Q: Do you plan to pursue ballet professionally?

A: Yes. I am taking a year off to dance with the Ballet Company [of Boston] and dance as long as I will or want to or can.

Q: How much professional ballet have you done in the past?

A: I am dancing in the Nutcracker this season. The season starts in December, is on the verge of beginning rehearsals and will be performed at the Emerson Majestic Theater from the second week in December through January. Nutcracker is a funny ballet, because it's what people associate with ballet, but if you're an actual dancer, it's one of the easiest, most irritating ballets to do every year. It's almost a circus act. You're just wearing pretty costumes. It's not the ballet role of a career, but it's fun anyway.

Over the summer I was in a show that was a mix of different works by the choreographer who directs the Ballet Theater of Boston, Jose Matte. All the professional dancing I have done has been at the Ballet Theater of Boston, except this summer [when] I worked on something called Jacob's Pillow and I danced in the Ballet DeVille under Peter Anastos, which was a good experience for me. That's really the only professional dancing that I've done.

Q: How have your parents molded your ballet experience?

A: My parents have been incredibly supportive and are not going to discourage me from taking time off because they have seen how much of my life I have put into this. Also, for them, they have devoted so much time and money to see me get to this point that it would be a shame for it to just end. They want it just as much as I do.

Upcoming Dance Events:

Two master classes with Clara Ramona: Saturday December 5th, at 3:30 p.m. Monday December 7th, at 2:30 p.m. Both classes are going to be presented in Agassiz, but have limited enrollment and require pre-registration with the Dance Office at 495-8683.

The Mainly Jazz Company is performing in Agassiz on December 11th and 12th. Call Dance Office for further information.

The Nutcracker is being performed by the Ballet Theater of Boston in December. Call 262-0961 for further information.