I love the dance community of Duke because it is like home to me. Born and raised in Durham, I would sit as a child on the Ark floor, feeling the vibrating drums and watching the powerful African dancers, my mother among them. Both my parents attended Duke, and my mother was very active in the dance program. Through her I naturally formed a connection with the teachers and community of Duke Dance where I have studied under Tyler and Julie Walters as well as M’Liss Dorrance.
Having studied dance throughout the U.S. under the great pedagogues of this art form, I find Duke’s setting and teaching unique. The student-faculty mutual respect births a creative conversation for Duke’s student dancers to develop and a welcoming hub for other dancers to join. Duke’s hosting ADF each summer testifies to this unique dance environment to which I have been attracted for years. (photo by Alec Himwich: Christiaan Ruff and Britta Anderson dancing in "Circadian Rhythms - 'reset your clock' ", Julie Walters, Choreographer. Performance: ChoreoLab 2014.)