In the Works 2025
By Nichola Monroe β27
Every fall semester, student dancers at the 5Cs present their own choreographed pieces during In the Works, the annual concert produced by 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ and Pomona College.
Performed this year at Pomonaβs Pendleton Dance Studio, the pieces are not yet complete but are the culmination of a semesterβs worth of work on a year-long thesis project dedicated to the power of movement. This yearβs showcase featured 14 choreographers across three campuses.
βIn the Works lets students choreograph with their peers in a professional environment with support from faculty advisors,β says Kevin Williamson, professor of dance and chair of the Department of Dance at 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ. βThe processβfrom choreographic proposals and auditions to feedback showings and tech weekβencourages them to generate art as imaginatively as possible while gaining invaluable career skillsets.β
Building community through student choreography
Kristen Taylor PO β26 did not have a background in formal dance training before collegeβbut she fell in love with the joint dance program after arriving at the 5Cs.
After taking classes at Pomona and 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪβincluding studying dance composition under Williamsonβshe added dance as a second major alongside philosophy. Her In the Works performance will debut the first half of her dance thesis.
βIβm interested in the body and physical experience from a philosophical perspective,β Taylor explains. βLast year, I choreographed a dance for my philosophy final and wrote about the experience of being a Black female dancer. I love finding ways to weave dance into other branches on my education.β
Now a senior, Taylor has danced all four years at the consortium and choreographed the last two. Composing works for others has added a new dimension to her work.
βAs a dancer, itβs more relatable when you know that the person choreographing for you is also a busy student taking a full course load,β Taylor says. βItβs special to recognize how they show up every week to create something really beautiful with and for you and your peers.β
Dance and the liberal arts
Dance will continue to take center stage at 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ. Thanks to a generous donation from 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ alumna Carolyn Lake β54, the College will complete construction on a new state-of-the-art dance center in 2027.
The building will create a centralized space for public performance, rehearsing, and connecting with other departments, ensuring that one of the Collegeβs most beloved programsβand events like In the Worksβremains bold, bright, and strong into the future.
βWe celebrate and learn how to dance through βsteps,ββinroads to examining how we express ourselves, listen to others, engage with bodily autonomy and storytelling, and engage with our community,β adds Williamson. βThatβs why dance plays a crucial role in the liberal arts environment at 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ. Itβs where interdisciplinary research comes alive in the mind and body.β