The view from inside ADF

On my first day as an intern for the American Dance Festival, I had my first jarring epiphany.

I found that my freshman year dorm room had been transformed in to the "copier room." Not only was my former abode now air-conditioned and equipped with packages of colored paper, the entire Wilson Residence Hall had become an office building, complete with a receptionist and an ADF store. While the metamorphosis changed my perception of my old home, my summer internship has caused other epiphanies in my perception of dance as well.

I originally applied to be an intern for ADF because I longed to spend the precious days of summer doing something that I am truly passionate about: dance. I have trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical and tap nearly my entire life, but have only had limited exposure to modern styles, which is the main focus of ADF. Although I love dance, I have never pursued it during my summers in college because of the demands of the pre-med curriculum. My summers always involve research in a lab, reading scientific journals and preparing PowerPoint presentations for seminars. With my senior year fast approaching, I dared to do something different the last time around. At ADF I would immerse myself in the world of modern dance-one that emerges every summer right on Duke's campus.

As the school video intern, I film everything from master classes and informal student showings to discussions with visiting artists and repertory workshops. Through these opportunities to archive special events at ADF my internship allows me to experience multiple aspects of the festival. Besides recording, my days are spent taking an advance modern technique class of my choice, attending weekly intern seminars and watching all of the ADF performances for free. I have been fortunate enough to sample some of the many distinct techniques of ADF's accomplished faculty, such as Pam Pietro and Keith Thompson, and grateful to be exposed to the dozens of world-renowned dance companies lined up to perform in celebration of ADF's 75th anniversary.

In my experience so far, I have been surrounded by an environment that nurtures creativity and stimulates unity within the dance community. I constantly see individuals engaging in a dialogue through the ADF blog on the walls of Wilson dorm. If students watch a performance with other fellow dancers, they can participate in a criticism discussion the next day. They also share your work with peers in open showings and let loose at weekly "improv jams."

As an intern, dancer and audience member, my appreciation for dance has grown tremendously. All of my former training has been in styles that have a specific vocabulary of movement. When someone asks you about dance ballet, you can demonstrate that style easily with a plie, grand jete, or pirouette. When someone asks you to show modern dance, however, you wouldn't know where to begin.

The diversity of my experiences through ADF has generously broadened my idea of what dance is and has only emphasized the impossibility of defining it. I have learned that the spectrum of dance extends beyond "technique" classes-it encompasses the limitless quality of human expression. Dance embraces the pulsing rhythms of African drums, the stillness of meditation and the frenetic compulsions of a twitch. In a place so familiar to me during the academic year, ADF has managed to unveil an entirely new world-one that has shown me what dance is from more angles than I thought possible.