One of the greatest opportunities Brandeis offers is extracurricular activities is the opportunity for younger students to take on leadership positions within their clubs. There are an abundance of groups where students can express their talents and passions through the arts. This week features insight into the participation of dance clubs on campus. Sarah Lavin ’21, though her academic interests are in neuroscience and studio art, is an active member in Adagio Dance Company and a new member of the hip-hop dance group, Kaos Kids.
Adagio is the largest student-run dance group on campus. They perform at shows throughout the fall and spring, and include other student-run dance groups like the Brandeis Ballet Club and Hooked on Tap. Both Adagio and Kaos Kids have served as an outlet for expression and creativity for many dancers like Lavin. She has been dancing for over 16 years, beginning when she was two years old. Because she has been dancing for as long as she can remember, she isn’t exactly sure what got her interested, but said “it’s definitely a result of never being able to sit still as a child.” In general, she said, dance has affected her quite her life positively. The sport serves as an outlet for her to communicate with the world and people around her without using words. “To me, dance is more than just a sport or activity that I do outside of school, but rather a form of therapy and a safe space,” she said.
Right away, she knew she wanted to continue dancing in college. She heard about Adagio before arriving at Brandeis this past fall and she was excited to continue dancing after being accepted into the Dance Ensemble. According to Lavin, the best part about Adagio is the community of dancers and the club’s significant impact on her time at Brandeis. “The kind and supportive atmosphere really makes dancing enjoyable, and all of the dancers have such positive attitudes and are extremely inclusive,” she elaborated. This semester, she is in four dances for Adagio, two of which she choreographed. Three of the dances she is participating in currently are for Dance Ensemble. Being able to choreograph for this dance group is such an incredible feeling. “It can be stressful being responsible for a whole routine. Yet, the hard work is worth the reward,” she explains. Being able to see something that she created in her mind come to life is an amazing experience.
Lavin’s involvement in Kaos Kids happened by chance. She stumbled upon a Facebook event promoting the auditions the same day they were being held, and decided to just go for it. She immediately made it into the group. Kaos Kids has also served as a beneficial community and outlet to explore her passions for dance. “Kaos Kids is its own little family, and everyone is supportive of each other in all that they do. Getting back into hip hop has been so fun, and I cannot wait to perform with them for the first time!” she said. This upcoming semester, she looks forward to performing with both Adagio and Kaos Kids, as well as getting to know all the people better.
These two dance groups at Brandeis have allowed Lavin to explore her strong affections towards dance on a daily basis, and to watch it all come together in a performance. “The best part of performing on stage is definitely being able to share the emotional and theatrical side of dance with the audience to provoke emotion and thought. I love to use dance as a powerful tool to express myself,” she explained. Between the rehearsals, choreography and executing the final product on stage, both Adagio and Kaos have left an impression on her college career.
