Lisa Nikssarian, a senior in the dance program at the University of Idaho, transferred from California and has since advanced her knowledge and passion for dance in Moscow.
Nikssarian said she has been dancing since she was four years old and it has been something she has always loved.
She chose to come to the University of Idaho because of the dance program and its emphasis on the science side of dance.
“I knew I wanted to be a dance major,” Nikssarian said. “What’s awesome about the dance program here is that it’s a bachelor of science, so it’s more kinesiology-based and focuses more on your body and technique.”
While the science is helpful and important, Nikssarian said it was the most difficult part of the major.
“The hardest part would definitely be all the science classes we have to take,” she said. “It’s a blessing and a curse, its hard but so helpful.”
Nikssarian said she considered following in her mother’s footsteps as a fashion major, but picked dance because she loved moving.
“Picking a degree and deciding what I want to do with my future, I could never see myself sitting in a cubicle in an office on a computer,” she said.
Nikssarian said the UI dance program is helpful not only because of the scientific aspect but also because of the opportunity to learn many genres of dance.
“I’ve grown as a dancer knowing the science behind it and focusing on the anatomy,” she said. “But I have also grown just by trying the different genres of dance.”
Since she came to UI, Nikssarian has been active in the Dancers Drummers Dreamers (DDD) concert held by the dance and music programs.
“I ended up transferring here halfway through my sophomore year and I didn’t know anyone but my teachers told me to audition for DDD, so I did and I just loved it,” she said
Nikssarian said she had so much fun with the concert that she knew she had made the right decision with her dance major.
Apart from the fun she has doing DDD, Nikssarian said it has also taught her important things like time management and communication.
Juggling the responsibilities of creating and directing dances for DDD while also learning as a student has allowed Nikssarian to grow as a student and a collaborator, she said.
While she is a student, Nikssarian also assumes the role of a teacher during the DDD production and she has to find a way to transition between the two.
“I have a friendship connection and a learning connection with them, so when I get to my rehearsal I have to find a way to lead and teach them,” she said.
Nikssarian is interested in communication and expression through dance, she said that she tries to incorporate her own experiences into her dances and use authentic movements.
She is currently doing her senior project on how choreographers can communicate a message to the audience and is using her choreography experience with DDD to research and present that.
“My first DDD piece that I did, I took inspiration from one of my visits back home to California,” Nikssarian said. “I was walking through downtown San Francisco seeing street performers and I took that street scene and had my musicians and dancers recreate that vibe.”
Nikssarian said bringing that realism to dance is a good way for audiences to interpret it as they want.
Nikssarian said that she loves performing and hopes to open her own dance studio one day to extend her love of dance and performance to others.
Kara Billington can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @K_Billington3