Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre Leaps to New Heights in Upcoming Performance
Two dancers gracefully move through an intricate pas de deux, surrounded by a corps de ballet wearing satin pointe shoes. It’s a difficult piece by iconic choreographer George Balanchine, but the company has been working hard on it for weeks, and they’ve got a first-rate coach: one who actually danced for Balanchine with the New York City Ballet.
This rehearsal scene could play out on many a stage; yet because this is Vassar, the principal dancers are a premed sophomore and a senior majoring in computer science. As members of the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre (VRDT), the College’s faculty-led dance company, they and their fellow student dancers are getting conservatory-level instruction from accomplished professionals—without having to commit to a dance career just yet. And this suits them just fine.
“I’m one of those people who could picture themselves doing everything,” says Fiora Hogan ’28, a film major from the Eastern Shore of Maryland who has been dancing since age three—and also loves math. “When I was looking at schools, I wanted a very strong dance program where I could also do rigorous academics, which was hard to find. Vassar was a way for me to keep exploring.”
Should she eventually decide on a dance career, Hogan believes her Vassar mentors—all of whom have had dance careers of their own—will expertly guide her. The faculty leaders of VRDT, she says, “bring in a ton of guest classes and choreographers and, oh, it’s so awesome!” As a VRDT member, she says, “you have more opportunities to take these [guest-taught] classes and have these little connections, like maybe in New York City, with all these choreographers that you’ve met.”
As VRDT increasingly attracts the attention of dance-world professionals and accomplished students alike, the Vassar Dance Department is able to offer ever-more advanced opportunities, says Chair of Dance Miriam Mahdaviani, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet.
“The program is quite exceptional for a college dance program that’s not a conservatory,” Mahdaviani says. “For a liberal arts dance department that doesn’t even have a major yet [but will this fall] to be offering this caliber of work to the students is pretty remarkable, and we couldn’t do it except that we have a highly talented and dedicated student body.”
The proof that Vassar’s students can hold their own, says Mahdaviani, is the fact that “when we do works like we’re doing this semester, works by George Balanchine and José Limón—and even the two contemporary choreographers, Pascal Rioult and Jon Lehrer—we wouldn’t get permission to do those works unless the students danced at a high level. When I ask The George Balanchine Trust for the license to do a work by Balanchine, the first thing they say is ‘send me a video of the dancers.’ And they want to know specifically which dancers are going to do which roles so that they can see how the pieces will be performed.”
After holding auditions at Vassar, says Mahdaviani, guest choreographer Jon Lehrer decided to create a new piece specifically for the VRDT Spring Concert to be held April 16–18. “Jon told us that this is only the second time he’s ever choreographed on dancers outside of his own company of professional dancers, because he saw who he had at Vassar,” notes Mahdaviani. “And, in fact, he plans to bring the piece that he made to his company because he was so delighted with it.” While all tickets for the upcoming performance are booked, it is still possible to see the show by arriving at the Frances Daly Fergusson Dance Theater in Kenyon Hall half an hour early to get on the waiting list. “We’re pretty good at getting everybody seated,” Mahdaviani says.
This year, VRDT is under the direction of John Meehan, Professor of Dance on the Frances D. Fergusson Chair and a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. “We strive to provide our students with an experience that closely reflects working in a professional company,” says Meehan. “We offer them opportunities, guidance, and creative freedom—all while maintaining clear expectations for professionalism in their conduct. It has been deeply gratifying to witness the evolution of our department, and it is always incredibly rewarding to see the growth and development of our dancers.”
Cruz Núñez ’26, a computer science major from Tucson, was already an accomplished ballet dancer when he arrived at Vassar. “The dance program was definitely part of my decision to come to Vassar,” he says. “A lot of schools known for strong dance programs focus more on modern technique, but coming off of two years in Ballet West Academy’s year-round Professional Training Division, I was looking for a school with good ballet classes, faculty, and repertoire.” Núñez says he had expected to dance mainly as an extracurricular activity and to stay focused on ballet. Yet being part of VRDT has allowed him to learn modern, contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop—and now he plans to dance professionally after graduating in May.
“I’m mostly looking into companies that emphasize modern and contemporary, something my freshman-year self would’ve never imagined and was only made possible because of the opportunities I was given as a Vassar dance student to explore different styles,” he says. “I feel confident knowing that my stylistic versatility is one of my biggest strengths as a dancer—seeing some company auditions list different movement styles they want people to feel comfortable with if they choose to audition.”
Sarra Grimshaw ’28, a premed student majoring in cognitive science who became very serious about ballet back home in Chicago, is also surprised by her own evolution as a dancer while studying at Vassar—especially to find that she is reaching new heights in ballet despite the time-intensive demands of a rigorous academic college courseload. “I feel like, if anything, my technique has improved since coming here,” she says, “which I didn’t think would necessarily happen because I’d be dancing less [than in high school].” Grimshaw credits Mahdaviani, Meehan, and her other instructors for this being the case. “They have so much knowledge about the dance world and trying to have a professional career, but also in terms of technique—and it’s all things that I haven’t heard before,” she says. “I feel like I learn something new every time that I take class from them.”
Beyond skill-building, Grimshaw also appreciates the camaraderie of dance at Vassar. “I think the community of it is just so special,” she says. “We’re all in Kenyon for so many hours of the week and when you’re dancing, you’re really putting so much out there. You’re sweating, you’re tired, but you’re doing it because you love to perform, and that creates a bond that few other things do. We really have each other’s backs,” she says. “VRDT is definitely one of my favorite things about college right now.”