Dawn's back at it!

By Anne Wharton

One of Dawn's soloists, Lindsey Gerson, in rehearsal.

There’s a homey feel in the ACC studio as Dawn Roberts watches her dancers take a stab at running her 

freshly choreographed piece. She shouts out musical cues as the dancers alternatively move in a group, 

solos and duets. No stranger to the Rio Grande dance studio, Dawn first began taking classes back in 2009. Taking 

breaks here and there as situations shifted, Dawn keeps finding her way back home.

Dawn watches her dancers in rehearsal. 

“It’s the atmosphere that Darla (dance faculty at ACC) provides,” Dawn explains, “you learn about who you are and 

discover your pathway to be an artist. It’s the only place I have to release my creative side.” ACC’s been lucky 

enough to have her present work on the stage several times before, and this semester she has a fresh 

piece to show for the Choreographers’ Showcase. 


“Initially I created a really literal piece about the systems in our lives: politics, religion, education,” Dawn 

says. She looked at the monotony and universalism that robs people of their individuality. “Why do we 

have to follow everyone else, is anyone even happy?” Dawn says reflecting on social systems. 

ACC dancer Lindsey Gerson is surrounded by dancers representing system followers.

Dawn created word banks summarizing her ideas and then asked her dances to come up with two 

movements that they associated with the systems she had listed. She kept adding layers of abstraction 

to allow the piece to develop away from her literal concept. “I let things collide together,” she says 

about structuring the phrases within the piece and setting the movement to music.  

One of the many gestures that Dawn built her piece upon.

This is Dawn’s first large ensemble piece so she had to tweak her process. Used to working within a 

heavily improvised structure that allowed her dancers to greatly contribute to the overall piece, she had 

to took a step back and provided more instruction to engage the group. “It was kind of scary,” she admits. 

But her process paid off and her dance took shape. “It’s about what feels right – when I see it I know it’s 

right.”   


Dawn’s choreography will be presented at the ACC Choreographers’ Showcase Dec. 4 & 5 at the Rio 

Grande Mainstage. Tickets on sale at the door: $10 general admission and $5 for students and 

seniors. 


Photos by Anne Wharton.

Congrats to Hien!

Hien Nguyen. Photo by Callan Muckleroy.

Congratulations to Hien Nguyen for recieving the Dance & Drama Scholarship!

Hien came to ACC four years ago after realizing pursuing an architectural degree at UTSA wasn't her dream. At ACC, she tried classes in American Sign Language and Creative Writing before finding her passion for dance.

She kept coming back to dance for "the at-home feeling," she said. "The community doesn't judge and everyone is open to new ideas."

Hien had never choreographed before ACC. In fact, she had never danced before taking Professor Catherine Solaas's improvisation class.

"Improv was my first dance family. We were like children on a playground," Hien said. "Then I did the summer workshop (Professor Darla Johnson's performance workshop class). I was looking at everyone like 'you're so much better than me.' But they helped me learn."

Hien Nguyen and Lindsey Gerson.
Photo by Callan Muckleroy.

Hien is looking forward to transferring to Texas State for her BFA in Dance. She's also interested in earning her teacher's certification. The Dance & Drama Scholarship has opened her world to a whole new future. "It gave me the financial security to stay in school," Hien said.

The Dance & Drama Scholarship is open to all dance and drama majors who meet the requirements. Applications for the spring are due December 1, 2015. Change your future and apply online today!