Conservatory Dance Students Perform in Greece
Global Experiential Learning Trip Fulfills Course on Greek Culture, June 14–July 2
Shenandoah Conservatory students performing in Karystos.
Twenty-four Shenandoah Conservatory dance students traveled and performed in Greece , June 13 through July 4, as participants in a three-week Global Experiential Learning (GEL) trip, a partnership between the Dance Division and PhilotimoNOW.
Christina Halpin Chair of the Dance Division and Associate Professor of Dance Maurice Fraga, M.F.A., led the trip with travel support from Conservatory Associate Dean for Academic Success and Professor of Dance Ting-Yu Chen ’19, Ed.D., and planning support from Professor of Theatre Kirsten Trump, M.F.A.
“This trip was connected to an idea of literacy in Greece, developed in partnership with SU alumna Athena Michael ’15, Ed.D., the director and founder of Philotimo Now, a nonprofit organization,” said Fraga. “It’s with her guidance that we put these performances together.”
The students performed for communities in Avlaki, on the Island of Ikaria; in the village of Devolitsi on the Peloponnese Peninsula; and in Karystos, on the Island of Evia.
According to Fraga, the performance grew out of a spring dance class. The students participated in developing dance movements based on a series of poems by Greek poets, while Fraga, as director, pulled it together into a cohesive performance structure. Audiences could hear snippets from the poems performed in English by student performers and in Greek as recorded by actors from the Athens-based Greek theatre company KOILON Productions directed by Yiannis Hondrokoukis.
The 30-minute contemporary dance performance also incorporated the concepts of “Zao” (i.e., to live and breathe) and “Philotimo,” which embodies the Greek expression of filial empathy, compassion, and generosity without expecting anything in return and taking pride in doing what is right and honorable while remaining humble.
Shenandoah Conservatory students performing in Karystos.
In addition to performing, students also visited museums, monasteries, and ancient archeological sites including the Acropolis of Athens and Messini; took contemporary classes with Athens-based dancer and choreographer Nikos Klivas; watched a dance group performing the kinetic piece, “Exit Above: After the Tempest,” created by renowned choreographer Anne Teresa De Keepersmaker at the Herodes Atticus Theatre in Athens; attended a comedic play, “Medea And Other Friends I Made In Athens,” from a rooftop theatre overlooking the Acropolis; and experienced the culture, food, and generous hospitality of individuals and communities in cities and villages they visited across the island nation.
“This trip has been an all-encompassing experience, said Kiana (Kiki) Ducusin ’24 (BFA/Dance) of Allentown, Pennsylvania. “It was a dream of mine, ever since I was an incoming student and learned about the GEL trip to Greece. I remember being so fascinated by the possibility of dancing internationally. So actually being here has been a magical experience. I’ve learned a lot about myself as a dancer, and I got to experience what it means to dance with nature, which has added a different level to my dancing,” she said.
Shenandoah Conservatory students created and performed an original piece inspired by the principles of philotimo, which they premiered in Karystos, Greece, in Summer 2024.
