In just 10 years, dance at Kennesaw State’s has made a move into the limelight – from a fledgling program with just a few students into one of the most popular training grounds in the state. From the beginning, founding director Ivan Pulinkala saw the potential popularity of dance as growing beyond a minor course of study.
“We had hoped to be able to find 15 minors in the first year‚” Pulinkala said at the time. “By mid−September‚ we already had 44.” By December of that year, the program had already broadened its reach to the international stage. Several dancers flew to Shanghai for a special performance of “The Monkey King,” which Pulinkala choreographed, based on a well-known Chinese story written during the Ming Dynasty.
Today, Pulinkala serves as chair of the Department of Dance, which offers a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and comprises the largest collegiate program in the state with more than 100 students majoring in dance.
That growth caused the need for expanded facilities, and in 2010 the department moved into new state-of the-art space at Chastain Pointe across from the main campus. A recent expansion has resulted in three studios, two of which are larger than any other dance studio in metro Atlanta.
Examples of the program’s status as an influential player in the Georgia dance scene have come among the many groundbreaking performances emerging from the Kennesaw State stage.
This past fall, the department mounted an ambitious dance performance featuring the works of several professors as well as Israeli guest choreographer and dancer Ido Tadmor, the artistic director of the Israeli Ballet. Almost 50 members of the KSU Dance Company, supported by a behind-the-scenes complement of more than a dozen technicians and crew, danced five works at the Howard Logan Stillwell Theater to near sell-out crowds for all six shows. Pyromania, a work created by Pulinkala, used special effects to realistically simulate fire on stage, even depicting the lead character on fire. “I was inspired by research on the psychology of a pyromaniac,” Pulinkala said of the experimental piece. “The choreography uses the subject matter metaphorically to investigate conditions of obsession, addiction and destructiveness that are part of every human experience.”
Will VanMeter, a first-year student, danced the title role and was a crowd favorite, judging by the applause he received. “I am studying to become a professional dancer in a contemporary ballet company,” VanMeter said. “I have found the artistry and passion here that are helping me to become a professional dancer.” Another standout work, Tadmor’s Black Morning, commissioned in partnership with the Consulate of Israel in Atlanta, presented a psychological study of grief but also of the triumph of the human soul in overcoming loss.
A decade ago, works such as these may not have found a home on the Kennesaw State stage. Edgy performances, combined with a growing reputation for excellence in teaching, has helped attract professional dancers and choreographers like Assistant Professor Daniel Gwirtzman to the faculty. The founder of the New York-based Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, he moved to Kennesaw in fall 2014 to be a part of the nation’s fastest growing dance program.
For his explosive/abstract piece “Volcano,” the choreographer selected senior dancer Alexandra Mjoll Gudbergsdottir, to be in the company. A native of Iceland, the dance major is well regarded among her fellow KSU Dance Company artists.
“Modern dance is absolutely my favorite because it is never the same,” said Gudbergsdottir, who plans to open a dance studio/school in Iceland. “The freedom and variety gives you the space to constantly grow as a dancer, and that is the true beauty of dance.”
The department trains performers, teachers and choreographers in its three concentrations of ballet, modern/contemporary and jazz, which are taught by regionally and nationally accomplished faculty and guest artists.
Dance students gain experience in all aspects of performance and production, including scenic, lighting and costume design, and execution. They also benefit from partnerships with Atlanta Ballet, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Dance Canvas, gloATL and the Rialto Center for the Arts.
While only a few will become professional dancers, many will become accomplished teachers and all will gain an enduring appreciation for what it takes to dance.
