Hobart and William Smith Colleges

With restrictions on in-person performances in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Photographer Kevin Colton sought a way to shine a spotlight on student dancers.

From the Stine Terrace at the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, Lauren Earley ’23 shares: “I love the hard work dance requires and how it allows me to fuse both my athletic and creative sides. Being able to move freely can be liberating and empowering at the same time.”

I love dance because no one movement is the same,” says Lucy Denton ’21, posing inside the Katherine D. Elliott Studio Arts Center. “There’s always something new to explore, something new to connect with in the body as well as on a community level.

Dante Kimbrough ’22 does a back flip off a tree on the Quad. “My ‘Intermediate Modern Dance’ class asks us to seek inspiration outside the box,” explains Kimbrough, an interdisciplinary dance major focused on movement studies.

“When I dance, I feel a sense of freedom. I block out the outside noise and focus on the ‘here and now.' Dance is my stress reliever that is guaranteed to always make me feel better, says Jade Josiah '21, in front of the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts.

Posing on the roof of the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, Bella Siddall ’21 says, “Dance is when I feel the most like myself. I’m able to express myself through movement and not worry about if I’m making sense to others. That feeling is indescribable.”

“The supportive and educational environment in the dance department pushes me to continue moving and creating,” says Allie Lussier ’23, in front of Au Bon Pain in the Melly Academic Center.

“When I’m dancing, I feel passion come to life,” says Bliss Doney ’22, leaping across Pulteney Street.

“When I'm moving, I feel good about myself and my accomplishments and the rest of the world melts away as my joy takes over,” says Emma Ibbotson ’21, posing in front of the William Smith statue on William Smith Hill.

Danielle Naimie ’21 reads in the Warren Hunting Smith Library. Her favorite dance quote is from famed Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev: “You live as long as you dance.”

Hannah Bixby ’23 poses in front of Coxe Hall. “Dancing allows me to escape all of the stress and uncertainty this year has brought,” she says.

“I feel the freest when I’m dancing,” says Julia McCormack ’23, posing on a bench on South Main Street near Merritt Hall. “Putting on some music and letting my body move lets me forget everything. It feels like there’s nothing else in that moment but myself.”

“Dance has been an integral part of my growth as an individual and as a student by pushing me to think creatively,” says Ruby Verbitsky ’21, in the Blackwell Room in Demarest Hall.

“Dance makes me feel joyful and free,” says Molly Powers ’21, photographed here with the Elizabeth Blackwell statue on the Quad. “It allows me to express emotions with more than just words.”

Chief Photographer Kevin Colton ran into dance photographer Jordan Matter on the streets of New York City in 2015. Matter then invited Colton to accompany him on a shoot at Grand Central Station.

Chief Photographer Kevin Colton snaps a photo of Jordan Matter as he shoots a leaping dancer inside Grand Central Station in New York City.