The Class of 2024’s New Student Orientation concluded Aug. 28 with the virtual “Common Moment.”
The annual event is an asynchronous movement experience for incoming students, featuring 10 faculty and student choreographers from Wesleyan’s Dance Department.Choreographers included Iddi Saaka, assistant professor of dance (pictured); Hari Krishnan, chair and professor of dance; Katja Kolcio, associate professor of dance; Joya Powell, visiting assistant professor of dance; Jace Arouet ’21; Shirley Sullivan ’21; Maren Westgard ’22; Pamela Gomez ’22; Spenser Stroud ’22; and Zachary Farnsworth ’21.While the experience is usually done in-person on Andrus Field, this year the choreographers taught the students movements through 25-minute virtual breakout groups. At the end, the groups joined together and made a final performance set to the same music.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all students participated in the experience from their residence halls. Pictured is Miles Allen ’24.Shirley Sullivan ’21 led a warm-up exercise and intro dance that involved jumping, kicking, turning, posing, freezing, reaching, pulling, “getting big,” melting, floating, clapping, squeezing, and shaking it out.Jace Arouet ’21, pictured, and community artists Joseph Getter MA ’99 and Peter Di Gennaro wrote and presented the music. Arouet also led a breakout room. “This was my first time ever leading anything over Zoom, and it was also only my second time as a choreographer, but I feel that the energy that comes from teaching movement was still felt even with the virtual elements. Seeing people type in the chat at the end of the event made the effort feel worth it, so I consider the event a success,” he said.Hari Krishnan, pictured bottom left, led a breakout group. “We want to keep it simple and keep it festive,” Krishnan said.Izi Peng ’24 performs during the Common Moment.Several roommates participated in the Common Moment together.The Class of 2024 participated in the 10th annual Common Moment.
Olivia Drake
James Sims
Editorial Staff
Ziba Kashef