Stephen Evan Washington

Personality Really Does Shine Through

Not many people can say that they were lucky enough to talk to a professional Broadway dancer-let alone to take a dance lesson from him. My fellow classmates and I were given this opportunity on November 17, 2010. The majority of us came out of the experience with a slightly changed perspective- now humbled by this man’s talent and success.

The day’s events began at 2:10 pm in the Macaulay building. The class first met Stephen Evan Washington in the screening room, and was surprised to see just how laid-back and approachable he was. By no means did he fit the stereotype of an uptight professional dancer whose ego is far greater than his or her skill. After a very brief introduction, he said he would show us one of the performances he was in and would let his work “speak for it’s self.” The dance piece was truly something different from the mainstream productions people are most often exposed to. Firstly, the number only consisted of men. However, there was no lack of interaction between the dancers. The men’s dancing seemed carefree to the extent that it almost looked improvised. The men seemed to be portraying a type of dance that just develops spontaneously- throwing their bodies in whichever direction and then reacting off of one another’s energy. There were a few audience members who thought the dance was too casual and did not showcase the performers’ skills. Although that is a matter of preference, one must understand that in order to achieve this carefree look, a dancer must have a solid foundation- filled with extensive training and impeccable technique. The dance also had a humorous aspect, when the men paired off and danced together in a way that is traditionally done by a male and a female couple. This choice was very well liked by the audience.

Washington’s made a good decision to open with this video, as it provided a nice segue into his background. He chose to be very open about his life and career-immediately taking down the wall between him and his audience. No topic was off limits. He showed the reality of being an artist, addressing topics like his desire for fame and the finances of a dance career. It was fascinating to hear how he was a shy child- nothing like the dancer we had just witnessed on the screen. His speech included many tips for aspiring dancers, but it also benefitted everybody sitting in the audience. Washington’s story wasn’t simply that of a dancer chasing his dream career, but that of an ordinary person chasing his passion. He made his stand clear- if you find something that you genuinely love and pursue it, success is inevitable. He had to go through tedious jobs and terrifying auditions, but finally managed to get to where he is today. One doesn’t need to be an artist to apply his theory to his or her life. Washington succeeded in reaching out to his audience and linking art to the outside world. He left everybody inspired and ready to face oncoming challenges.

What really fired up the audience was the mention of Washington partaking in The Lion King. He made us all realize how much intensive training and cooperation among fellow artists is necessary to create the magical product we see on stage. When it was our turn to learn some choreography from a scene in the production, Washington proved to be a decent teacher. He pointed out all of the details that the dancers needed to pay attention to, like keeping those knees high and not swaying the body back and forth. He then divided the group in two, and each section watched the other perform. Washington made us realize that being one of the dancers in The Lion King is harder than it may seem. It’s easy to lose the rhythm, forget the foot pattern, fall out of sync with the group, lose your breath, etc. What’s more, we didn’t even have to wear the outrageously heavy headpieces the Broadway dancers do.  Washington was very enthusiastic when it came to instructing us and the passion he has for dance shone through.

You know an event is worthwhile if the only thing you can criticize is it simply not being long enough. I wish Washington had left more time for teaching us the actual art of dance. If scheduling restraints did not give him enough time to do so, I would suggest he cut down on some of the other aspects of his presentation. It was not necessary to give us as much background information on himself as he did. Furthermore, considering the fact that the majority of the audience was not very familiar with his style of dance (particularly that of his earlier career,) Washington could have shown only a fraction of the video he played at the beginning. Even though a few of the audience members saw the subtle differences in the piece and thoroughly enjoyed them, others saw a lot of monotony. Washington could have kept in mind who his viewers were and catered to their needs better.  Regardless of these points, Washington did a fantastic job in sharing his wealth of knowledge about dance. His personality added much color to the event, allowing students to openly communicate with him and showing them what in truly means to be a dancer in this day and age.