The Dance Department was established in 1972, with the help of Ellen Torrey, the school’s first dance program director. In 1991, it expanded into an official part of the theatre program, when Alice Sarkissian-Wolf, the first head of the dance department, choreographed for the musical.
By 1992, the program was offering three to four classes every day. After occasional periods of inactivity, an official budget was established to fund costumes, props and a visiting artists’ series, including regular visits from Liliana Candotti, director of the Italian company, Artistica AlambradoDanza. Ms. Candotti premiered a number of pieces created specially for the Dance Company after its formation.
During this time, the program focused on modern dance; dancers studied the techniques of Graham, Humphrey, and Duncan and other important 20th century modern masters.
The Dance Company, which performs annual shows, was created in 1995. The company allowed dedicated students to take additional classes, learn repetoire, work with visiting artists, and choreography.
In the past, the dance program has also offered travel opportunities. Every year from 2003-2018, dancers traveled to Florence, Italy to take classes, work with international choreographers, and attend performances.
In recent years, one student decided to dedicate herself to improving the offerings for and reputation of dancers on campus. “In my Prep year, there wasn’t much going on with dance.” said Ophelia Cham ’25. “The Dance Company, which is teacher-run, had one show in the winter and only performed three or four dances. There were a few small, impromptu performances, but overall, dance didn’t feel important or taken seriously at all. I really wanted to create something for dancers to be taken seriously.”
Halfway through her Lower Mid year, Cham founded the Hotchkiss Dance Team. That year, the team performed at the Taft Day pep rally and participated in the Lunar New Year performance.
The Dance Team also started its own annual dance showcase and created a dance team Instagram page, where they posted videos and photos from their performances. “Putting ourselves out there on social media helped us gain visibility and recognition from the community,” said Cham.
The following year, the team hosted the first interschool dance show, inviting the Kent School to perform with them. The event was promoted the show on the school’s official instagram. “We started to see that even prospective students were engaging with our content,” Cham said. “We were influencing admissions.”
This year, Cham, alongside her co-captain Irene Zeng ’26, collaborated with the orchestra to produce the school’s first- ever ballet performance, The Nutcracker.
Cham also expanded the interschool dance show to include the Deerfield Dance Team. “It’s been really exciting to see all that growth,” Cham said.
When asked what it was like to be in charge of the team, Cham said, “It’s like being the mom of all the ‘dance babies.’ They’re all super-precious, and I want to create opportunities for all of them to show their passion.”
Despite the team’s recent success, Cham is concerned for the future of dance at the school. “I heard that next year there won’t be a Dance Humanities class, which is very disappointing. I’m afraid that will erode dance at our school.”
Still, continued faculty support of the dance program makes Cham optimistic. “I’m especially grateful for Mr. Brashears [director of theatre]—he has really helped us with building the team and hosting our shows.”
Cham hopes Mr. Fabio Witkowski, head of the visual and performing arts department, will continue expanding the program after she graduates. “I want to bring back master-classes and invite different teachers to teach dance classes in different styles,” Cham said. “That’s what a lot of our dancers want to achieve, and Mr. Witkowski is hoping to accomplish these goals, too.”
