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Student Blog

Dancers facing multiple directions with right hand raised and left hand lowered

September 29, 2021

Student Blog: Working with Kara Wilkes

Eli Alford (BFA ’22) shares his experience working with guest artist Kara Wilkes, the current rehearsal director for Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Wilkes taught choreography to upperclass BFA students through Zoom from Oakland, Calif. The solos will later be professionally filmed for the students’ reels.

A man in a white shirt and black pants kicks his leg in the air in a dance studio.

September 21, 2021

Student Blog: Academic opportunities at USC

Functioning as a conservatory within a university, USC Kaufman enables its students to investigate other areas of academic or artistic interests within one of the world’s leading research institutions. Eli Alford (BFA ’22) talks about how his minor and general education courses influence his dance practices.

A man in a pale red shirt and orange pants embraces a woman on stage with a low ponytail wearing a pale red dress.

September 3, 2021

Student Blog: Performing Iconic Repertory

At USC Kaufman, students have the opportunity to enroll in Repertory and Performance where they learn established repertoire and explore the creation process of new works. Elise Monson (BFA ’22) describes her experience in this course as it varies each semester in what is taught and who is brought in for new creations.

Woman wearing a mask and headset teaches conditioning class

August 10, 2021

Student Blog: Eli Alford shares highlights from Summer Bridge

One of my most memorable classroom experiences so far would have to be Afro-Cuban with Professor Anindo Marshall. Until the Kaufman Summer Bridge, I hadn’t had the opportunity to learn from Professor Marshall nor experience this exciting dance form. In class, she and one of our incredible accompanists drums as we create polyrhythms with our bodies and movement. The high energy drumming paired with the expressive movement creates an experience unlike anything that can be felt online.

Lauren Brophy looking over her left shoulder in Paris

August 4, 2021

Student Blog: Summer Intensives in Southern California and Paris

After a long year of virtual dance, I was eager to participate in a few in-person summer intensives, including Laguna Dance Festival in Irvine, Calif. and SHARE: The Dance Intensive in Paris, France. Both intensives were a wonderful way to reconnect with my peers and the dance community as a whole, and my excitement to return to in-person instruction at USC Kaufman is more magnified than ever!

A dancer wearing an orange tank top and blue pants lifts their leg over their head and reaches their hand to the ground.

July 22, 2021

Alumni Blog: BODYTRAFFIC Intensive

Pulling off an online intensive can be a daunting task. Because of this, I was not sure what to expect from a two week long, seven hours a day Zoom intensive with the dance company BODYTRAFFIC. I am happy to report that the experience was not only inspiring, but humbling as well.

Two men and one woman stand in a triangle formation on a city street. The two dancers wearing white help the central male dancer take off his black leather jacket.

June 10, 2021

Student Blog: Writing “Love a Little Harder”

With dance studios closed due to COVID-19, Jonathan Alexander (BFA ’23) wanted to find new ways to hone his creativity during quarantine. While exploring new mediums, he found a passion for songwriting, which led him to produce his first pop single, “Love a Little Harder.”

Cameron Cofrancesco looking over shoulder with arms raised in front of blue sky

February 5, 2021

Student Blog: Dancing with Zeitgeist Dance Theatre

Working with Zeitgeist Dance Theatre (ZDT) this past summer was not only an exploration of movement and storytelling, but also an investigation into the current landscape in America. ZDT planned to have a live performance in Salt Lake City, Utah to premiere the new company. However, we switched to an entirely virtual setting because of the global pandemic.

Collage of photos of Evan Sagedencky

October 23, 2020

Student Blog: Dancing with Ate9

Ate9 has been consistently taking the necessary precautions to slow the spread of the virus while keeping our community safe. They require us to wear masks, social distance and regularly wash hands. Once we began in person, everything just fell into place.