Welcome to the Department of Theatre and Dance

• College of the Arts Contacts

Students reflect on dancing through the pandemic

CSU, Fullerton’s Dance Program celebrates our resilient students and their many achievements this year.  The lessons learned from the wholistic teaching of our dedicated Dance Faculty transcend the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of our student’s reflections on their experiences:

“I cannot begin to explain how much I have learned about mindfulness this semester. I honestly feel that if mindfulness wasn’t (in our) curriculum, I would’ve struggled a lot more than I was already. With learning mindfulness, I was able to also learn about myself. I learned new ways to deal with my stress instead of overwhelming myself. I also learned how to regulate my emotions a little better and understand them too. This new exploration of my mental health really benefit my dance life and my personal life too. Even though we didn’t have classes in studio, I feel like my brain still went into “studio mode” and I would have one mindset for class but then a different one once we logged off. Eventually I realized it and had to teach myself."

As I read through the series of journals I wrote throughout this semester I found a lot of self-discovery and growth within my writing. I learned what it is like to be challenged by dance in a way I have never felt before and I cannot say it has been easy. This semester has been one that has tested my limits but proven to me no matter what happens my passion for the art of dance remains untouched.

Yoga days really helped because it was during the times I was stressing. Maintaining mindfulness is something I will keep with my everyday life. It is so grounding and necessary to check in on myself. I also will be more performative in all my classes and really utilized my technique. I am eager to continue my training with the dance program and see how much my dancing improves.

I am very grateful for all of the support all of my peers, professors, and family have given me. It has given me the motivation to finish the semester strong. I am fully confident in my dancing ability and have noticed improvement in areas that I would not have improved if we were to be in person.

This modern course definitely changed me as a dancer. The mindfulness and dance techniques we learned challenged me at first, but I was motivated to keep going until I got things right. I wish to do it again and again. This was the best class for me to wake up to. I was genuinely hungry to learn. Despite the heaviness I would feel in the morning, this class always woke me up. I felt energized every time I left the meeting

Being mindful of emotions has changed how I learn, create and share art with others in the "studio" and out in the world, it has broadened my view of dance.

One of the things that I am very proud of is my use of breath and how it has improved over the semester. I started off only using my breath when I was instructed to or I was thinking about it. Now, I am using my breath for almost everything and I am getting better at not thinking about it. I feel more connected to my movement and my body feels better and more comfortable doing exercises. The time we take to breath at the beginning and end of class helped me to prepare myself for class and for the rest of my day.

Being mindful while dancing is a very new concept for me. I never thought about my mindfulness in class before I started dancing at CSUF. I love that each of my dance professors had mindfulness activities for us to do throughout the semester. When I am more mindful, I dance better, I am more positive, I feel better at the end of class, and my dancing is more enjoyable to watch. Mindfulness leads to artistry.

I am so glad I have been able to realize just how much I have learned during this difficult time in history.

The information that I learned in class could be utilized everywhere. I think it's important to constantly synthesize one's experiences and interpret them so that they could be used elsewhere.
The perseverance I learned in class can help me push past a conflict or tough time. The expression in class could help me not only in my artistic practices, but showing love or kindness to those around me. Mindfulness is a valuable form of introspection and making sense of the world. What I am learning now is much more than just technique, but skills that will help me thrive in life for years to come.

Over this virtual semester I’ve come to quite a few “aha moments”… When I’m really focusing on the task at hand, I find myself more awake and alert, as well as more physically challenged. Secondly, applying my breathing to my dancing helps with stress and my overall performance as a dancer. 

In the News