When it comes to schools known for their dance programs, the University of Oregon is not most people’s first thought. Yet there are several flourishing dance groups at the UO, all of which use the skill as a form of expression and creativity — within and outside of the School of Music and Dance. Dance can be rewarding, but it doesn’t come without a fair share of challenges for those who love to do it.
“I’ve always had a huge passion for it,” Paulina Siri, first-year at the UO and member of Duck Street Dance Club, a hip-hop dance group on campus, said. Her involvement with dance started at a young age and the activity has always played a big role in her life, but like most dancers who have been in the field for a very long time, she had experiences early on that challenged her continuation in the activity.
For Siri, the studio that she danced in growing up was always pressure-filled. Despite not participating in competitions with other dance studios, there was always a sense of competitiveness and an expectation for the young students to be operating at the best possible level.
There was a hierarchy formed by the culture of the studio she was in. She said it was frustrating, always being made to feel as if she wasn’t doing something right or she couldn’t be as good as the more experienced dancers, despite being in advanced classes.
“In this space that is overly-competitive and overly-analytical of every little thing you do, how you look and how you’re dancing and how you hold yourself, that can kind of get to your head and turn you into this person that is somewhat image-obsessed,” Siri said.
Holly Renshaw is a second-year at the UO and is currently the president of K.Aire, a K-pop dance group at the UO. Similar to Siri, she had early experiences with pressures from teachers and a studio that made her feel disconnected from her passion for dance in childhood. “I did for a while feel like quitting. I didn’t feel like the achievements meant as much, and my mental health was suffering because of [the teaching style],” she said.
According to Renshaw, her experience with a teacher who had a toxic way of motivating students had a negative effect on her, and others in her studio. “She had the sort of teaching style where she would pit people against each other,” she said. Renshaw and a close friend were often compared to each other when they were in Irish dance classes together at a young age.
While this competitiveness experienced by dancers can often be stifling, in some circumstances it can also be driving, motivating students to find environments where they can practice dance in a more positive manner.
Renshaw’s past experiences have informed the way that she manages her leadership role in K.aire. “I definitely try to be very conscious of making sure I don’t compare people and that I value all of our dancers’ individual styles, and also where they’re at,” she said. Renshaw makes it a goal to motivate the members of the group while steering clear of comparing them to other members.
Renshaw said K.aire sometimes follows choreography from videos of K-pop performances, other times members create their own choreography. The group makes an effort to be inclusive in their choreography when it comes to placement, allowing members to take turns with center positions. Members get their roles in the choreography based on who is interested in a certain role. Those who don’t get their first pick get a chance to have their first pick at a different time. “I definitely try to be more fair and equal because I have experienced and seen what it’s like when people get pushed to the side a lot,” she said.
Siri has recently had the opportunity to choreograph for her peers in Duck Street Dance Club. She mentioned she often catches herself falling into old habits learned from former teachers and competitive environments as she takes on a new role of choreographing and assigning spots. She said she is in the process of unlearning things such as placing experienced dancers in front and less-experienced dancers in the back of the formation.
“I brought in a lot of little ways of thinking that just don’t really serve me anymore in my choreographing and placing process,” she said. When she falls into this mindset, she takes a step back and reminds herself that she’s in Duck Street and not in a competitive studio environment anymore. She made the switch in order to get away from the toxicity she experienced in studio settings.
Renshaw has a lot of gratitude for her experiences with dance despite the fact that they were difficult. “At its core, the sport is a positive thing, and so if you can manage to get away from any of the bad influences, I think it’s really worth it to stick it through,” she said.
Community through vulnerability
Abigail Chaffee is a first-year taking a contemporary class through the UO School of Music and Dance. She’s been dancing for around 16 years and has always found community in it — even in her current dance classes where she doesn’t know anyone. She said she finds it fun being vulnerable with strangers because it puts everyone on the same playing field.
“You’re in a class full of people you’ve never met before, everyone’s at different levels,” Chafee said. “Our teacher has us do partner activities with people that we don’t know, so it’s very vulnerable, and for that reason, it feels like a community.”
She said it feels like there’s nothing to lose from being vulnerable in dance, even if it can be a bit awkward at times. Creating intimacy is very unique to the art form of dance, and other sports don’t really have that, according to Chaffee.
“A lot of dance is kind of just failing at things and trying things and seeing if it works. And if it doesn’t, no one’s really judging you,” Chaffee said. She’s grateful to have the opportunity to experience dance as a judgment-free zone, fostering inclusivity no matter a student’s level.
Shaylene Gionson, second-year at UO and member of Duck Street Dance Club, a hip-hop group on campus, and K.Aire, said that she always is very expressive when she dances and it allows her to connect to people despite the fact that she’s shyer in her day-to-day life.
According to Gionson, the expressivity that comes along with dance, along with being able to explore everyone’s individual style has really helped her fall in love with the activity and helped her create several connections along the way. “I made a lot of new friends, and some of my best friends now are also from Duck Street,” she said.
Beyond friendships, dancing in K.Aire and Duck Street has helped Gionson create a network by dancing with people who come from all different kinds of experiences and backgrounds. Her networking has led her to exciting opportunities such as leading the choreography for K.aire’s performance in this year’s annual drag show at UO, this year’s theme being ‘Drag me to Heaven.’
“It was definitely a passion project for me,” Gionson said. She had the opportunity to choreograph the same song that got her interested in K-pop in the first place. “I just can’t believe that this almost three-minute-long song — everything on that stage essentially came from my brain,” she said. “It bamboozles me still.”
Gionson appreciates choreographing K-pop dances because the style typically has a lead vocalist at the center of the choreography, cycling through different members being the focus of the performance. Although K.Aire is focused on the dance side of K-pop performances rather than singing, the style still follows the one-member-at-a-time format. Her fondness for K-pop choreography is rooted in the inclusivity of the style. “Regardless of your skill level, everybody gets a center,” she said. “Everybody gets their time to shine.”
Inclusivity of all skill levels
“Once I started breakdancing I realized it’s not really as hard as it looks, but it’s still really cool,” Robin Reyna, first-year and member of Flock Rock, a breakdancing group on campus, said. He had no previous experience with dance, but since joining Flock Rock, he has experienced the inclusivity that dance has to offer.
He said Flock Rock especially is very beginner-friendly. “There are people who are total beginners. There’s one guy who’s been doing it since middle school, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like you’re being left out or anything,” he said.
Flock Rock performed in the fall term as one of the groups (along with Duck Street) at the eighth annual UO Hip Hop Jam, a hip hop arts and culture party thrown by the Hip Hop & The Politics of Race FIG.
The Hip Hop jam was Reyna’s second live performance ever. “In my personal experience, it’s super nerve-wracking,” he said. Despite the nerves, he said he has lots of fun during live performances. The energy from the crowd was also helpful, encouraging him to get out of his comfort zone. “When I was out there I could just feel the moves come into my head, and I was just flowing them all together,” he said.
Maintaining cultural values
“Growing up dancing around all different kinds of cultures has definitely opened my eyes to how much love goes into it,” Nicholas Dunn, fourth-year and member of the UO Hui’O Hawai’i Club, said. Dunn’s passion for dance comes from its ability to connect people to their identity and culture. He will be performing in the Hawai’i Club’s annual Lū’au, on April 29 at McArthur Court.
According to Dunn, the goal of the annual lū’au is to promote the Polynesian culture. “I think it’s very important to advocate for different cultures around the world. I think it’s very important that we bring this to the school for our diversity as well, representation of the students we have here,” he said.
In last year’s lū’au, Dunn performed the haka, a traditional Māori war dance; Māori are the Indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. While he will be teaching others the dance for this year’s lū’au, he performed the haka entirely on his own last year. He remembers using all of his energy for the performance. “I lost my voice right after, and I fell asleep backstage,” he said. The haka involves chanting along with the performance. “I made sure everyone heard it, and I think that inspired a lot of people to join me for this year’s lū’au.”
He said the Hawai’i club is always looking for dancers, but they are especially looking for dancers now to participate in the lū’au at the end of April. “You don’t even need to be Polynesian to enjoy the culture or even dance with us,” he said. “We welcome everyone who has an interest in culture.”
Students in different dance groups at the UO appreciate the community and cultural inclusivity fostered within the art form. It provides them with opportunities to meet like-minded people, practice vulnerability and make long-lasting friendships. Students appreciate the inclusivity that is maintained by dance groups at the UO and the support of different cultures that dance is able to provide. Above all, students value dance as an equalizer for its ability to create connections between its participants.
Dunn appreciates dance for these same reasons. “We have an instant bond because you need to have that when you’re performing together,” he said. “When we dance together, we come together.”
Holly Renshaw, President of K.Aire, performs a dance move at the beginning of the choreography. K.Aire K-Pop Dance Crew held a dance workshop in the Student Recreation Center on Feb. 17th, 2023. The group learned a choreographed dance to ENHYPHEN's song ParadoXXX Invasion. (Molly McPherson/Emerald)
