Dance residency brings learning, reflection, and community to Holton campus

Students across campus engaged in a powerful blend of art, history, and personal expression this week as the Carolyn Dorfman Dance visited for a three-day residency. Through performances, workshops, and small-group sessions, the residency offered more than a traditional arts experience—it created space for students to connect movement with meaning, exploring themes of memory, identity, and community.

At the center of the visit was founder and choreographer Carolyn Dorfman, who described dance as both an artistic and human practice. “Dance is a conversation,” she said. “Life is a conversation.”

As the child of Holocaust survivors, Dorfman creates dances that reflect both loss and resilience, honoring the stories passed down to her while inviting audiences to consider their own place in a broader human story. “What makes us who we are—the burdens we carry—often become our greatest strength,” she shared.

For students, the residency offered a different way of learning—one that extended beyond technique. Justin Dominic, Holton dance teacher and a former member of the company, emphasized the importance of helping students make connections between what they see and what they experience. “Being able to look at something and find meaning—that’s art,” he said. “There isn’t a right or wrong answer. It’s about how you connect to it.”

That emphasis on interpretation and critical thinking was evident throughout the week, as students engaged not only as audience members but as participants—asking questions, sharing perspectives, and exploring movement themselves. Interactive sessions invited students to reflect on ideas of community and belonging, connecting what they experienced onstage to their own lives.

By the end of the residency, that sense of curiosity and connection was evident across campus—demonstrating how dance, as Dorfman describes it, can “connect communities” and “build understanding” through shared human experience.