Where does dance lead in life? Kinesiology students in the Dance program choreograph, produce and perform three dance concerts every year for the campus and local communities. But beyond dance, what are students learning – and how?
While the dance concerts are by nature performances for audiences, from the perspective of educators, the productions are known to be High Impact Practices (HIPs) because the experience also leads students into self-discovery while helping them develop skills for further education and life overall.
As students produce the shows from conceptualization to curtain, they are learning movement and staging, performing scientific research, exploring social issues, discovering meaning, gaining empathy, developing communication and storytelling skills, and learning best practices for health and wellbeing.
Some of our dance students have gone on to pursue PhD’s (one of whom is serving on our dance faculty today) some have become professional dancers and performers, teachers, physical therapists, Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs). Wherever their careers take them, each can point to dance as helping them connect to qualities within that are leading them today. Meet a few of our students and alumni.
Elissa Brock (Alumna)
A Professional Dancer Motivated by Mentorship
“When I first enrolled in the CSUN Dance program in 2009, I knew I was signing up to get an education, but what I never imagined I would receive were the intense and lasting relationships I would develop with my professors.”
“Each took an eager interest in me, influencing my decisions, pushing me to my potential and driving me toward excellence. I let them know I was grateful. It worked. I graduated early and with honors, and began a career as a professional dancer. I cannot put a finite value on all that I have learned from them because they are not finished teaching me. Some are still very much a part of my life. Dr. Paula Thomson in particular has opened doors to professional opportunities, both as a dancer and choreographer. She is more than my mentor; she is my friend, a person I can go to for anything at any time. My gratitude is beyond expression, partly because I know I can never repay these people for the advising, support and encouragement they have given me. Nevertheless, perhaps one day I will have the opportunity to honor them by showing another young artist a similar kindness.”
Allen Chung (Alumnus)
A Technician by Day, a Dancer by Heart
“Life has struggles and people feel alone sometimes. I discovered social connection through dance and also found a way to inspire and motivate others. I’m president of COSMIC Dance Crew (Creative Organization for Synergistic Movement and Innovative Choreography). It was founded by Liezel De Guzman, who teaches for CSUN Dance now, and Mariko Iwabuchi who used to teach full time but is working on her PhD in Psychology, and Nancy Ishihara. We met as students and wanted to keep dancing together, and in just a few years it’s grown from about five of us to two dozen members.”
“COSMIC is a dance team to lift others up. We perform at events and we also give lessons and workshops. We do theatrical, hip-hop, Jazz, you name it. At CSUN, we learned from Professor Thomson that our influence matters, and that people need to know there are others who want to bring happiness into their lives. By day I’m a technologist for a communications company, but the connection to my friends and the community through dance is a powerful motivating force. It’s the background we got through CSUN that makes us strong thematically. COSMIC puts me in a position to challenge myself doing what I love to do.”
Liezel Marie DeGuzman (Alumna and Faculty)
Dance Becomes COSMIC and a Teaching Career Begins
“I am very passionate on what I do and what dance has done for me in my career! I graduated from CSUN in spring 2013 and began teaching Urban Street Dance as a member of the Kinesiology faculty as of fall 2014. As a student, I was one of the co-founders of COSMIC Dance Crew thanks to CSUN Dance. When I was in the dance production class in 2009, I met two students who were creating a piece for the spring dance concert, Nancy Ishihara and Mariko Iwabuchi. They asked me to be the soloist for their dance and after that performance, we absolutely fell in love with working together as a group. The small group kept growing and COSMIC Dance Crew was formed. It was just motivated by a group friends that wanted to learn from each other and grow better and better every week. We started getting involved more with CSUN Dance and, on our own, got out there in the dance community, and booked some gigs. We grew to become a family.”
Danielle Jarvis (Alumna and Faculty)
A Doctorate in Biokinesiology to Help Dancers Prevent Injury
“While I was working toward my Master’s degree in Kinesiology, I was also a Teaching Assistant in the Dance program. Throughout my career I have been interested in how injuries affect dancers, and the MS in Kinesiology with an option in dance is definitely what drew me to CSUN.”
“I decided to go to graduate school because I wanted to do research, but once I started teaching courses in the department I also fell in love with teaching. Thus I started to think about moving on to a doctoral degree. I was strongly influenced by Paula Thomson and Vicki Jaque who were on my thesis committee and who pushed me to progress quickly through the MS, graduating in a year and a half. They helped give me the confidence to pursue my PhD. I wanted to go further into researching the biomechanics of dance and injury prevention in dancers, as well as gain the ability to teach in a tenure-track faculty position. I got my PhD from USC in Biokinesiology, focusing my research on the biomechanics of dance. I was delighted to be offered a position back at CSUN, where the unique diversity of the kinesiology department allows me to continue to combine my interests in dance and biomechanics.”
Beatrisa "Bebe" Liang (Alumna)
Ice Theatre Performer, Ensemble Collaborator
“CSUN Dance laid the foundation for my career. I started out as a skater and was a national competitor in 2001. I retired from competition in 2010 and now I coach figure skating full time for the Los Angeles Ice Theater, a nationally and world-ranked Theater-on-ice team.”
“Ice theatre is a team discipline focusing on the artistry of figure skating. I learned how to build a piece of choreography from the ground up, how to clean the smallest details, and improve technique personally as a dancer. The one thing that I use most in my work now is knowing how to work with an ensemble. That alone has been invaluable to me now that I work with over twenty skaters at a time. Outside of work, I think that dance has made me grow as a person in so many ways. I was extremely shy and performing on stage has really brought me out of my shell. Finding dance at CSUN has been a true blessing.”
Cherise Mckenzie (Student)
Better Relationships through Dance, Future Dance Therapist
“I want to place dance therapy clinics in low income neighborhoods around the world. Growing up in a low income neighborhood, I experienced many hardships that affected my education and social life. I was surrounded by gang violence, prostitution and drug use which seemed to be the only outlet for my future. I longed for activities that could distract me from the realities of my neighborhood.”
“Dance allowed me to release any pent up emotions that kept me from interacting with my family and friends. Because dance classes were not free, I would create my own dances and dream of performing them in large performance halls. But now that I’m in CSUN Dance, I have come one step closer to my dream. I have opportunities to perform and I am able to study the psychological effects of dance. I take every opportunity to perform, simply because of the everlasting joy it leaves in my soul."
Courtney Ryan (Student)
Leaps and Bounds to Becoming an Applied Behavior Analyst
“I can honestly say I would not be the dancer I am today nor the person I am today, without the guidance I received here in the CSUN Dance Department.”
“The guidance here is beyond inspiring to say the least. CSUN Dance has helped me establish myself in every aspect of my life. Through the mentorship of this program I have learned so much about myself and grown as a person and a dancer. I have been pushed past what I thought my limits were, and I am so grateful for that every single day. I have always put my studies as a top priority, and the encouragement I get here constantly pushes me to be the best I can be in all areas of my studies. I have met so many incredible people, mentors, and artists here and through them I have been able to be a part of numerous dance opportunities. I am interested in going into Applied Behavior Analysis as a career and graduate school for that. Regardless, I still (and will) seek out and audition for dance opportunities.”
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Jean O'Sullivan and Dance Faculty and Students