Meet senior dance majors Gabrielle Langevine, Alex Roberson and Gregory Williams, who will share their professional goals for their futures in the performing arts.
Could you describe your short-term professional goals?
“After college is over I want to go to grad school for arts administration while being a performer. I want to dance with a company while pursuing my graduate degree.” – Gabrielle Langevine, senior dance major and women & gender perspectives CUGS (certificate of undergraduate study) from Piscataway, NJ (Middlesex County).
“Short-term I’m looking to gather physical and energetic experiences in a couple different dance spaces. One being in sessions where people listen to good music and dance for the feeling, for the release. Build community. Learn from those who have already made space for others. The other being where people use dance to challenge preconceived ideas, where the artist puts the art on a pedestal. I’m looking to develop and share my point of view with those who can’t help but do the same.” – Alex Roberson, senior dance and theatre arts double major from Texas.
“Once I graduate, I will work at the dance studio I graduated from, working with their tap department and taking over a portion of their tap companies. Along with this, I want to go to a local theater that offers community dance classes and offer to collaborate with them in creating a community dance program.” – Gregory Williams, senior dance major and entrepreneurship minor from Middlesex County, NJ.
What is your long-term professional dream goal?
“Long term I see myself working with a big theater corporation like Lincoln Center, administratively. I want to continue working in DEI work to some capacity. And hopefully working in the dance world as a teacher later down the line.” – Gabrielle Langevine, senior dance major and women & gender perspectives CUGS from Piscataway, NJ (Middlesex County.)
“Long term I plan to create art at the top of the game. Soak in as much time exploring dance myself so that eventually I can show others how to do the same. Share the knowledge, the feeling, the craft with many. Use my body to keep dance unique, valuable, and accessible.” – Alex Roberson, senior dance and theatre arts double major from Texas.
“I want to have a dance company that combines all styles of dance, highlighting their similarities but specializing in tap. Revenue from shows, performances, and additional funding would go toward supplying people with free dance classes, materials, and supplies, even possibly doubling as a community mentor system. I believe the arts, specifically dance, need to be experienced by everyone and is a vital part of life.” – Gregory Williams, senior dance major and entrepreneurship minor from Middlesex County, NJ.
What internships, clubs, networking, etc. are you involved in and how do they support your goals?
“I am currently the assistant vice president for the Division of Diversity Equity and Inclusion. This position will teach me what DEI work looks like on the collegiate level, which supports my DEI work goals. I am also the treasurer for the NAACP. I have been a part of the Rowan NAACP since my sophomore year, and I have met some great people through this organization. Last year, I became a Harley Flack mentor with the SJICR (Social Justice, Inclusion & Conflict Resolution) office. My love for mentoring has had its moment to shine, and I am looking forward to continuing in this position! And lastly, I am an ASCEND Success Coach this school year. Continuing on this path of mentorship and helping others in their journey has been fulfilling.” – Gabrielle Langevine, senior dance major and women & gender perspectives CUGS from Piscataway, NJ (Middlesex County.)
“I had the opportunity to attend American Dance Festival and connect with people who challenged my dance skills and knowledge. People who made dance feel whole again for me. Helping me remember that dance is not just steps memorized and recited together onstage. Dance is to be felt, to be meaningful, to be rewarding, to be exhausting, and it is to be investigated and challenged.”- Alex Roberson, senior dance and theatre arts double major from Texas.
“I have started RU Hoofers Club which is Rowan University’s first tap dancing club. Through that, I have connected with tap dancers at other universities, but also the Philadelphia tap community. Also, I’ve made strong connections to The Lady Hoofers, who are an all female tap ensemble in Philadelphia who also do similar work to what I want to do. Alongside this, I am an Admissions Ambassador where I am able to meet and talk to people from all over with other connections themselves.” – Gregory Williams, senior dance major and entrepreneurship minor from Middlesex County, NJ.
What Rowan professors or Rowan classes have been most helpful and enlightening to you, and how?
“Paule Turner, Leslie Elkins, and Dawn Marie Bazemore are my dance professors. They have been great tools for wisdom, and I admire their paths in dance. I have taken an array of dance classes with them. I enjoy what they teach because their lessons don’t only apply to dance, they apply to life.” – Gabrielle Langevine, senior dance major and women & gender perspectives CUGS from Piscataway, NJ (Middlesex County.)
“Professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, Paule Turner, has been most helpful and enlightening during my time at Rowan. I was not a dance major at Rowan until I took his class Fundamentals of Modern Dance. It was a new way of dancing to me, but Paule made class insightful, relevant, and fun. He not only helps students improve upon weak areas but guides them to know why they are strong.” – Alex Roberson, senior dance and theatre arts double major from Texas.
“I owe a lot of my connections to Professor Corinne Karon. She has a huge professional presence both in Philadelphia but also in the entire tap dance community, having LaVaughn Robinson as her mentor. As a club we also owe a lot of our connections to Professor Katie Budris in the Writing Arts Department. When we first appeared on campus she gratiously reached out letting us know that she would love to collaborate and connect. A class that I found helped me succeed was Entreprenuership and Innovation with Professor Greg Payton. In this class you participate in entreprenuership engagement events which are a great way to network and develop ideas. Another cool opportunity that I took advantage of was the senior privilege program which allowed me to take a graduate course while still in my undergrad. This gave me an idea of what my graduate path could be.” – Gregory Williams, senior dance major & entrepreneurship minor from Middlesex County, NJ.
How will this degree support your dreams and goals?
“Many teachers and friends of mine who have degrees in dance go on to be community leaders, teachers, and dance performers. I love the freedom that a dance degree can contribute to one’s personal goals. So with my dance degree in conjunction with my involvement on campus, my goals will be more than attainable.” – Gabrielle Langevine, senior dance major and women & gender perspectives CUGS from Piscataway, NJ (Middlesex County.)
“As an artist, it’s not about the degree. The degree is words on paper. For me, it was the opportunity and space to work with other dancers and great professors. A space to develop. In college you only get out what you put in. It’s not about the degree; it’s about to what degree I put in the work. It’s about the hours of rehearsal, the sweaty clothes, the body recovery, the eating healthy, the talk of dance, the passion, and the grit. It’s about the people you meet along the way. It is my aim to be looked at for how I dance and not where I went to school. That being said, my time in Rowan Theatre and Dance has been extremely valuable and will absolutely stick with me as I move forward.” – Alex Roberson, senior dance and theatre arts double major from Texas.
“Getting a degree in dance helps me hone in and decipher the question: What is good art? I have been able to become the artist I want to be through development with my professors. They worked with me to create connections and opportunities that will flourish while in school and continue to develop once I graduate.” – Gregory Williams, senior dance major & entrepreneurship minor from Middlesex County, NJ.
Like what you see?
Written by: Jordyn Dauter, junior double major in dance & elementary education
Photos by: Valentina Giannattasio
