Breadcrumb
Dance, B.A. | Class of
Jonny Wisan
Dance Teacher/Performer
Employer: North Coast Dance
Job description: I teach a variety of dance styles such as jazz, ballet, contemporary, and others, to all age levels: children, teens, adults, and senior citizens.
About Jonny
Why did you choose this program?
Dance has always been a part of my life, and growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to pursue a program that not only fuelled my creativity, but was also set amongst the beautiful scenery to which I was accustomed. Humboldt offered that perfect marriage between dance and nature. Creating pieces in redwood forests, in ocean waves, and on rocky river beds was wonderfully juxtaposed against the choreographic works also set within HSU’s various theatres and dance spaces.
How did this program prepare you for your job?
One of the core values of the HSU Dance department is to prepare their students as best as possible for the world that awaits them upon graduation. Very knowledgeable faculty give invaluable dance technique classes, and help lead through choreography and the creative process. Students of Dance are required to study topics including, but not limited to:
Teaching as an art—pedagogy, the how-to’s of instructing, different schools of thought in teaching children, adults, and those who are differently abled. Students are then given hands-on opportunities outside of the classroom to utilize their newly acquired teaching techniques.
Dance Science—anatomy, body mechanics, and the cultivation of healthy lifestyle choices for the longevity of their bodies and dance careers.
Dancing after college—in which members of the Dance faculty present the different work and further-education options a student may take after graduating. Showing the students how to create websites, draft resumès, and portfolios are key to how the faculty prepare their students, beyond dance technique and philosophy, for a fulfilling life in the world of Dance.
What did you enjoy most about the program?
The Dance program at HSU was full of the most diverse individuals I’d ever had the great pleasure to work with—some with years of experience, others brand new to dance. The faculty and staff brought us all together with their knowledge, skill, love of the craft, and deep caring for each of us individually. We were all from entirely different walks of life—it was a beautiful melting pot of people, all with a single, unifying goal:to DANCE! But not just to dance, to LIVE through dance—to show beauty, pain, wonder, joy, sorrow,to truly embody the human experience through a medium through which everyone can relate. The medium of movement.
What would you say to prospective students who are thinking about applying to this program?
Dance here! The faculty and staff are incredible, both in teaching, and in how much they truly care for their students’ well being. Soak up every opportunity, continue to learn, know every aspect of your area of study. Do your work, but also enjoy the process—see where it takes you! Your whole life is ahead—let it take you by the hand and lead you in this glorious DANCE called “Life”.