Phina Pipia Junior
Conservatory of Dance
WHY I DANCE
I started dancing seriously when I was 14 and began pursuing it as a career. Dancing is a way of communicating, a language that is infinite, that you speak for decades and still have more to say. And I chose to study at Purchase because the Conservatory of Dance strikes a balance between developing the student technically, challenging the student as a creator, and encouraging the student to discover his or her potential a performer. The curriculum provides an education in a number of dance techniques, courses in improvisation and composition, and opportunities to perform a wide range of repertory.
This immersion in both classic and contemporary movement techniques, choreographic exploration, and performance experience allows the dancer to gain an understanding of the complex, multidimensional nature of movement. The embodiment and exploration of this understanding allows me grow as an individual artist, to thrive.
COLLABORATION
I believe that experiencing life fully makes me a more intelligent performer. I knew while I studied Dance here that I would be able to take advantage of my proximity to the many other conservatories and be a part of an eclectic and vibrant campus community. When I chose to study Dance, I looked for a school that would challenge me to grow as a person, a thinker, and a movement artist.
I recently developed my own choreography in an outside assignment with five dancers, collaborating with musicians from their conservatory. It was a performance piece for the Purchase Downtown Cabaret, a showcase of work by Purchase students and alumni in downtown Manhattan. I spent the whole semester rehearsing with the dancers. I met the composers the week prior to the show and only heard the music on the day of the performance! I had to scramble to put it all together. Nerve-racking but thrilling.
DANCING AS PHILOSOPHY
When I dance I feel the most alive. To my mind, movement allows the world to come into clearer focus, connects me to an almost ethereal state of being, and allows me to speak on a higher level. The inextricable nature of the moving body to space and time fascinates me. My blood, bones, muscles, skin, organs, and senses are all part of an ongoing dialogue that is dance.
While studying here I have learned to allow dance to move through me, to experience and be present in movement, and to be fascinated by its endless possibilities. This school has given me the wisdom and intelligence I have needed to love movement in a deeper, healthier, more complex way.
As an example, last year I performed in “Duets” for the spring concert. I was asked to challenge myself to perform a piece that was very technical. It was surprising that I had been cast since I don’t consider myself a technical dancer. On stage, I was able to connect the effort of intricate choreography with myself as a performer, mover.
I spend most of my time in the Conservatory of Dance. I take daily technique classes and then rehearse during the afternoons and evenings. There have been many chances for me to study outside the Conservatory. Every semester I can register for academic courses throughout the College. And I have studied voice in the Conservatory of Music since my sophomore year.
ARTISTIC PEERS
I also have the privilege of living with artists. My roommate is a dancer and our two apartment mates are students in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film, and the Conservatory of Visual Arts. So my days are full of interaction with professors, dance students, and friends from other disciplines.