“That was one of the craziest weeks of my life.” That, is how I started the journal entry I wrote in the airport while waiting for my return flight from Rome—and what a crazy week it was. From the moment we stepped foot in Rome, my eight peers, our Faculty Mentor Amy Wilkinson and I never stopped moving. From airport, to Vatican, to six-hour rehearsal, to Trevi Fountain, to rehearsal, to Nureyev ballet performance, to rehearsal, to a concert of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” to rehearsal … to performance with Mandala Dance Company, our time in Rome was defined by a rigor and sense of adventure that I think we all agree transformed us as dancers and human beings.
“Going to Rome was a trip of many firsts. Not only was it my first time legitimately dancing for a professional company but it was also my first time going overseas. I learned a numerous amount of things from these two “firsts.” I learned how to independently grasp how to live in the Italian culture, which helped me grow as an intellectual. I also learned that dance is a universal language; even though the Loyola dancers and the Mandala dancers didn’t speak the same language, we communicated through our common art form, dance. Rome was truly an unforgettable experience that I am forever grateful for.” – Skyler Summerson
Keep scrolling to read more about our travel, dance and research opportunity—including reflections from the dancers themselves and a video recap of our adventures in Rome. To see performance videos, click here.
The Timeline: Chicago June 17-23, Rome June 24-July2
The team: Amy Wilkinson (Faculty Mentor/Educator/Choreographer), Yariana Baralt-Torres, Maria Blanco, Phoebe Coakley, Katarina Ivanovic, Jordan Kunkel, Sofia Mazich, Skyler Summerson, Isabelle Taylor, Gina Wrolstad
The Project: A week before Rome, six Loyola dancers met in Chicago to learn and rehearse a trio My Life Closed Twice, choreographed by Amy Wilkinson. Those dancers then met up in Rome, Italy with three others to study and rehearse with Mandala Dance Company. We performed My Life and two other pieces in collaboration with Mandala on July 2. Now, in anticipation of our return to classes and dance at Loyola, we are tasked with documenting our experiences as research through a series of journal entries.
The Research: We are asked to explore how our experiences in Rome affected our performance of My Life and how our approach to studying dance has changed. Topics such as how our identities as Americans affected our approach to the movement, how we learned and connected with others despite language barriers, and any other reflections we may have are also being explored in these journals.
A huge thank you to Dr. Kevin Kaufmann and the Center for Experiential Learning for helping make our trip possible through the Provost Fellowship.
Grazie to Paola Sorressa and the Mandala dancers for welcoming us into your city and your studio this summer. You made our experience the best it could have possibly been.
And of course, thank you to Amy Wilkinson: without you, this adventure would not have been possible, and it definitely would not have been so successful.
Check out this video recap of our trip, created by Gina Wrolstad:
“Getting to experience a different culture, group of dancers and set of ideals allowed me to understand better my role as an artist, student and person in this world. It gave me back the hopes that I had lost in the course of doubting myself. It was a fresh reminder of who I am as a person/artist right now and who I want to become in the future. Without a doubt I will be forever grateful and I will always have a great appreciation for Rome and its people.” – Yariana Baralt-Torres