Getting involved with dance at the 5Cs (the five undergraduate Claremont consortium colleges) is a great way to meet new people, explore different class and club offerings, and make cross-campus connections! Scripps College offers a BA in Dance with three different possible concentrations along with a minor in the field. There are no auditions to be part of the program! If you aren’t interested in dance being a part of your curriculum, there are many other ways to dance at the 5C’s including dance clubs, PE courses, or attending numerous different shows throughout the year. Everyone is welcome in the dance community here, no matter experience or “ability”.
As a dance major, I have loved my time in the Scripps Dance Department. I’ve had the opportunity to perform work by Kevin Williamson, Suchi Branfman, and numerous student-choreographed pieces. I also have the opportunity to work with guest artists, for example, next semester I will be performing “Drive” by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with A.IM. Outside of class and co-curricular dance events, I attend classes by Reverb (a heels dance club on campus) and I am part of Groove Nation Dance Crew. I have also been able to attend shows in and outside of LA funded by Scripps, and this upcoming spring, Scripps will be funding other dance majors/minors and me to an American College Dance Association Regional Conference in Utah! I love the dance community here and everyone I have been able to meet and work with, but rather than rambling on about my love for the community, I figured I would ask my peers what their favorite aspect of 5C dance is:
“I love how genuinely excited everyone is to watch and support each other’s art and how easy it is to talk to people within the dance community even if you’ve never directly worked with them before.” – Sammy Riesgo-Zamudio PO ‘26
“My favorite part of 5C dance is the diversity of programs and classes offered. Before I came here, I’d only taken ballet and contemporary, and now I’ve taken so many things! Latin American Dance Practices, Flamenco, African Aesthetics, Ghanaian Dance and Music, Gamelan Balinese Dance, etc etc! It’s so exciting.” – Meadow Jones SC ‘24
“My favorite aspect of the dance community at the 5Cs is how supportive everyone is! I’ve grown so much more confident in my dancing since being at the 5Cs because people are so kind and encouraging – it’s such a lovely environment!!” – Kristen Taylor PO ‘26
“I am so grateful for the dance community at Scripps. The dancers have become my best friends and roommates and they make me feel at home.” – Sophie Kim SC ‘24
“My favorite part is getting to learn from everyone!” – Lue Khoury PZ ‘25
“My favorite aspect of 5C dance is the community building and collaboration we all do leading up to the semester show! There is never a shortage of laughter during rehearsals and every time I step into Richardson*, I feel like magic is created in the space!” – Tierney O’Keefe SC ‘25
As we are all gearing up for our end-of-the-semester performance, In The Works 2023, my peers and I are feeling lucky and grateful to be integrated with this community. As we complete our tech rehearsals and get into our first show days, the smiling faces all around me remind me how thankful I am to dance in college with all my friends. The Scripps College Dance department along with the many clubs on campus have been a great way for me to be involved, pursue my passion, and learn the field of study I hope to continue after I graduate.
*Richardson is the building in which the Scripps College Dance Department is located along with its main dance studio