RWU Dance/Performance Program Pivots to Counterbalance Challenging Times

BRISTOL, R.I. Introducing: The Freelance Dancer:  Learning the Steps to Survive, Thrive, and Activate Community

RWU’s Dance/Performance Studies Program hit the ground running the summer of 2020 - the uncertainty of the Covid-19 Pandemic necessitated multiple simultaneous plans for how the next academic year would play out - not only for studio and theory classes; but also for rehearsals, productions, and guest artist residencies.  Through the complexity, one thing was clear:  the arts - pivotal to humankind on social, civic, educational, economic, and individual levels - were straining under the pressure of the necessary Covid-19 restrictions.  And dance - an innately communal, highly collaborative, and exertive physical art - needed as much support as it could get.

Cathy Nicoli, Associate Professor and current director of the Dance/Performance Studies Program, knew her dance students were facing a whole new stage - so to speak - not only in their training but also in their post-graduation employment landscape.  She realized it was the right time for a course that had been on her mind for years:  RWU dancers needed a business-oriented class to ready them for marketing and employment success; However, the volatile times, and the field in general, also called for a holistic approach - one that recognized that one’s success as a dancer is founded on inner resilience, tenacity, consistency , and personal identity as much as the external factors of the employment landscape they leap into.  The course also had to increase the students’ professional networking skills and contacts.  It had to help dancers translate how the rigors specific to their studio training  helped condition them to be excellent employees with distinct skill sets that come from:  the interpersonal knowledge that years of embodied practice cultivates, the dirt and sweat of physical labor, the balance between collaborative teamwork and solo leadership, creativity and problem solving, and a certain kind of grace under pressure.

Professor Nicoli knew the perfect “superpower” to design and teach the course:  Mary Ellen Beaudreau - experienced educator, director, choreographer, dancer and arts administrator based in Brooklyn, NY and Providence, RI.  Mary Ellen received her MA in Choreography from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in London, and a BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School.  She also performed with renowned companies including: San Francisco Ballet, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, RUBBERBANDance Company, Charlotte Ballet, and Fort Wayne Ballet.  Mary Ellen also worked as a choreographer and movement director in dance, film, theatre and opera productions at:  the Royal College of Music in London, Columbia University, The Laban Centre in London, Festival Ballet Providence, American Players Theatre, Classic Stage Company, Fort Wayne Ballet, and the iconic dance venue, Judson Memorial Church.  She also held leadership positions as:  the Development Assistant of Arts & Science at New York University, Producer of Performance & Residencies at Gibney Dance Center in New York, and Director of the Brooklyn Ballet School.

Here is how Professor Mary Ellen Beaudreau (aka: “Professor Mellen”) describes her inaugural course:

From the start of my professional dance career in Providence, RI, to present day living in New York City as a director, choreographer and administrator, I am frequently asked by young artists, “How do I make it?.”  This question is the very reason I developed The Freelance Dancer: Learning the Steps to Survive, Thrive and Activate Community.  Initially geared towards dancers, this is a life-skills class applicable to anyone in need of developing their interview skills, resume, cover letters, job hunting, networking and creating their own career path.  In this class we learn that “making it” is how we define our own success, and we discover the survival skills necessary to support our dreams.  We delve into topics including current events, community activism, learning about prominent BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists, writing critique, career counseling, supportive resources, collaboration and how to adapt to the ever-changing job market during today’s world pandemic.  One of the most exciting things about this class is that we are welcoming a diverse group of guest artists from around the world who are especially important to our performing arts community and our educational landscape.  Each guest shares their own unique pathways and how they achieved success and notoriety by doing what they love to do.

Professor Mellen has curated her guest artist roster to supplement the course’s learning outcomes; however, the speakers’ talks are open to anyone in the RWU community interested in joining.  Please email mbeaudreau@rwu.edu if you are interested in any of the following guest artists.

Limitations develop innovations, and times of change often offer space to reflect on past norms and opportunities to realign the big picture.  Both of these sentiments were true this year, and now Professor Mellen’s The Freelance Dancer:  Learning the Steps to Survive, Thrive, and Activate Community will be a regular part of the Dance/Performance Studies curriculum. The program hopes students outside of Dance/Performance register for the course too - the translatable skills it covers are applicable to many students preparing for the job market.  We are proud to share that our inaugural semester is already integrating Dance, Psychology, Marketing and Architecture students.

Here are some of their testimonials!

I love the dynamic of our class and how warm and welcoming the energy is.

The assignments and their due dates help me hold myself accountable and not procrastinate the work. 

Going through the resumes was the most valuable for me. I have never made a dance resume before and having the opportunity to make one and be able to edit it is super important to me.

Thank you for making this class feel like a community!

I feel more confident about certain parts of my future already due to this course.