Erika Randall, professor of dance, has worked at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder since 2007. She is now associate dean for student success in the College of Arts and Sciences and dedicated to helping students achieve their goals through academic support and student-based services. In January, she launched her podcast , which focuses on people who eschew specialization and instead use their many interests to spur creativity and fulfillment. 

After 16 years, what keeps you at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder? 

It鈥檚 so interesting to land in a dance program in the middle of the country. But those who are making art here are truly exceptional. I knew if I came to a Tier 1 university, I would have mentors. I met the team and I thought, 鈥楾hese are badass artists. These are the kinds of humans I want to keep challenging and inspiring me.鈥� With most of my colleagues, we take each others鈥� classes. We sit in for each other. We co-teach. We lecture. We watch each other鈥檚 work. We are deep in conversation. It makes you better. 

What has been your favorite class to teach at 欧美口爆视频 over the years? 

I really love teaching ballet. I鈥檝e been doing ballet since I was 5, and I just choreographed my first ballet because I didn鈥檛 trust that I could give proper trouble to the form until now. Even though ballet can be problematic, there鈥檚 something about its structure and its training. When I teach that class here, I get to blow open people鈥檚 ideas about ballet or themselves in ballet. We close the mirrors, we swear sometimes. The class is usually about half non-dance majors who grew up dancing 鈥� science majors, engineers. They come to ballet carrying with them some baggage and leave feeling liberated and like this form was returned to them in a way that they can dance for the rest of their lives. 

What keeps you dancing? 

Certainly not my knees and hips now. But I have an insatiable appetite for moving. I talk about the litany of things, and mine would read 鈥榙ancer first.鈥� It鈥檚 the physics of motion and the relationship to bodies and music. The connection between falling and flying. If I鈥檓 not spinning off balance, I don鈥檛 know how to be. I鈥檓 always dancing 鈥� in every room, which means I am definitely a kitchen dancer. The happiest moments in my life have been dancing. It鈥檚 been a passport to my world experience. I鈥檝e met my people because of dance. I got so lucky in this lifetime to be a dancer. 

How do you think dance can influence big change? 

Difficult conversations on things like race or gender or sexuality feel more manageable when you can sweat in a cypher with someone. Our students here are working on transformation and challenging systems. What is it like to learn through your body? In dance you mess up, but we are trying to get comfortable in failure. We need a dancer in every room where important decisions are made about bodies and time and space. 

Tell us about your new podcast, The Ampersand. 

The podcast is about this made-up concept of 鈥榓nding.鈥� Anding is taking the conjunction and making it a verb. Anding can be about cooking and mothering and evolutionary biology and race car driving 鈥� all of these things create the uniquenesses that are us.

When I got to [the College of] Arts and Sciences, I realized everyone was very active and working across all these different disciplines. I went to [marketing鈥檚] Tim Grassley, who is now the producer, and asked him what he thought about doing a podcast on this idea. It鈥檚 since been such a creative spark for us. 

What鈥檚 been your reaction to the stories you鈥檝e shared so far?  

We鈥檝e been surprised at how moved people are after listening. It鈥檚 been inspiring to students who haven鈥檛 been encouraged to study what they want 鈥� or a first-generation student who has a very specified path laid out for them. The alchemy of anding starts to create your weird, I say. It鈥檚 exciting for students, faculty and staff. And nobody can be mad at it because everyone gets to make it up for themselves, so it鈥檚 inclusive by nature.

What have you seen change at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder over the years that you love? 

My colleagues Michelle Ellsworth and Markas Henry have been absolutely amazing. They are artists in the world who inspire me with their imagination, capacity and mentorship. I鈥檓 lucky to have them as best friends. And the students: I love watching the humans who are going to save the planet with and for us. They are just so creative. They put together their curiosities with such acuity that even if I don鈥檛 know what they are talking about, I feel lit and I feel hope.

What else do you do outside of this university? 

I mom hard. Which means I spend a lot of time at skateparks. I love the sound of wheels on concrete, because that鈥檚 the sound of my son at peace and happy. I write every day, either letters to myself from 鈥榦lder Erika鈥� or a poem to my partner. I am a filmmaker 鈥� I鈥檓 finishing a documentary short about dance, percussion and song called Hambone Griot. I鈥檝e been working on that film for 10 years, featuring the indomitable Rennie Harris. I like to read, kayak, watch baseball 鈥� things that slow me down. I like anything water-based.

I really like to talk to people every day, especially the humans I dearly love. I鈥檓 committed to reading poetry before email. And I go to yoga five days a week.

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Photos by Glenn Asakawa

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Nii Armah Sowah dreaded teaching 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 鈥淎frican Dance 鈥� Ghanaian鈥� during the pandemic.

鈥淭he whole course is based on expression and connection,鈥� said Sowah, who鈥檚 instructed African dance classes at 欧美口爆视频 for more than 20 years.

To cut aerosol transmissions, Sowah decreased the chanting that accompanies dances, restructured classes and cut the typically required extracurricular bonding.

But the losses in no way caused a loss of heart.

鈥淐OVID deprived so many students of human contact. When we started dancing, there was this sense of strong desire to connect... this longing has helped us build a good community in the classes,鈥� Sowah said. 

When Sowah moved to the U.S. from Ghana in 1994, he soon realized that Americans identified him as 鈥淎frican鈥� rather than Ghanaian. He recalls being thrust into a position of cultural ambassador for the entire continent 鈥� a role he does not take lightly. As a result, his course doesn鈥檛 just cover the moves. It also explores the tenets of African cultures, creating global citizens by expanding students鈥� cultural competencies.

鈥淎frica has a lot of values, ideals and philosophies that are powerful and very meaningful in terms of supporting healthy life,鈥� said Sowah. He hopes to foster appreciation and respect for African cultures by highlighting these values. 

And, according to students, the course offers even more. Constance Harris (MDance鈥�21) shared, 鈥淓mbedded in the steps that we dance and the songs that we sing are life lessons that are grounded in personal accountability, community building, selflessness, confidence building, decolonization and joy.鈥� 

Rather than dwelling on class changes due to COVID 鈥� like the modified final celebration 鈥� Sowah views these sacrifices as another way to demonstrate the African spirit of resilience. 

Growingup in Ghana, I experienced periods of famine and drought. We learned to manage and made do under the circumstances,鈥� Sowah said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 insist on living our life as if the world was not happening. We adjust as needed.鈥�

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By Dawn Davis (MDance'96)

(Human Kinetics, 200 pages; 2022)

Dance is an activity that everyone can enjoy, and Dance Appreciation will help students do just that.

Dance Appreciation is written to encompass the needs of a broad range of dance students, from high school to university level, and is appropriate for students who are new to dance as well as those who are experienced in the art form. The text will help learners discover more about themselves, connect with dance, and make it a relevant and vital part of their lives, whether it is their primary course of study, eventual career path, or simply a way to express themselves and enrich their lives.

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Which one would you take?

1. Energy and Interactions (EDUC 1580): It's physics, but for future elementary-school teachers.

2. America Through Baseball (HIST 2516): The history of America's pastime, and how world events have affected it. 

3. Geology of 欧美口爆视频 (GEOL 1040): A geological history of the state that's sure to impress.

4. Yoga, Ancient and Modern (RLST 2612): In sum: Yoga's been around for a long time. 

5. Wild West Soundscapes (MUEL 2742): From hymns to folk to Hollywood soundtracks, a musical overview.  

6. Trash and Treasure, Temples and Tombs: Art and Archaeology of the Ancient World (ARTH 1509): It's all in the title.

7. Stars and Galaxies (ASTR 1200): Includes lectures at Fiske Planetarium, and a nighttime obesrvation at Sommers-Basuch Obervatory.

8. Biology and Society (EBIO 1100): Exploration of social issues such as reproduction and population.

9. Mapping a Changing World (GEOG 2053): Map-reading for better awareness of nature and society.

10. DNCE (1000, 1100, 1200, 1301, 2501): Exercise for credit: 欧美口爆视频 offers Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop and African Dance. 

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Meet 欧美口爆视频's first Rhodes Scholar in a quarter century. She's got her sights set on a U.S. Supreme Court seat鈥� and a Miss America title.

Serene Singh had been a Rhodes Scholar for less than 48 hours last November when she boarded a flight for Southern California. She had a contest to get to, National American Miss, the nation鈥檚 biggest youth beauty pageant.

Rhodes Scholars are rare enough 鈥� Singh, a 欧美口爆视频 Boulder senior, is one of 32 from the U.S. in the latest crop and 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 first winner in 25 years. Rhodes Scholars also aiming to be Miss America were perhaps unheard of until now.

But Singh (Jour, PolSci鈥�19), a bhangra-dancing, snowboarding Boettcher Scholar from 欧美口爆视频 Springs with a 3.98 GPA, isn鈥檛 shy about the diversity of her ambitions, or much else, for that matter.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no class in confidence,鈥� she recently told a Denver audience of about 750 欧美口爆视频 alumni and friends while dressed in a bright yellow jumpsuit 鈥� you have it, or you build it.

The former Miss 欧美口爆视频 Teen and America鈥檚 Junior Miss said pageant competition has helped her cultivate presence, poise and a sense of her 鈥渙wn unique beauty.鈥�

To pageant skeptics (she once was one), Singh says she skips bathing suit contests. But she doesn鈥檛 scoff at contestants who find confidence through them: 鈥淚 say to those women, I think they should do it shamelessly. I applaud them for being bold.鈥�

 

At 22, Singh has done a lot.

A champion debater, member of 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 Presidents Leadership Class and chief justice of 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 student government, she鈥檚 also a classic activator: She founded 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 Sikh Student Association, the National Sikh Youth Program and the Serenity Project, a nonprofit group devoted to empowering marginalized women.
 

There鈥檚 no class in confidence, said Singh 鈥� you have it, or you build it.

Last spring, mere months before she became 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 first woman Rhodes Scholar, she won a Truman Scholarship, which provides $30,000 awards for young people invested in public service and access to an alumni network rivaling the Rhodes鈥�.

Last summer, after spending part of it as an Obama Foundation intern in Washington, she returned to campus and resumed the presidency of both 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 Sikh Student Association and the political science honors society 鈥� all while leading the 欧美口爆视频 Bhangra Team, a competitive Punjabi dance squad. 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 team, part of the statewide team, numbers about 30, she said, mostly non-Indians.

Singh, who grew up in a Sikh family, was also preparing to undertake an honors thesis about public perception of Sikhs in the U.S., tackling two majors and stopping nearly every dog she saw for a pet and a selfie.

鈥淚鈥檝e got about 400 now,鈥� she said, presumably including her own chihuahua, Betta (鈥渃hild,鈥� in Hindi).

After commencement in May, the Rhodes Scholarship will take her to England for all-expenses-paid graduate study at the University of Oxford. There she鈥檒l follow in the footsteps of many prominent Americans, including Rhodes alumni Bill Clinton, Rachel Maddow and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White (贰肠辞苍鈥�38).

In all, 20 欧美口爆视频 Boulder alumni have won the Rhodes since it was established in 1902. Before Singh, the last 欧美口爆视频 Buff Rhodes Scholar was Jim Hansen (Engr鈥�92; MAeroEngr鈥�93), in 1993. The former 欧美口爆视频 football captain later earned an Oxford Ph.D. Today he is superintendent of the Naval Research Laboratory鈥檚 Marine Meteorology Division.

Worldwide, there were 100 new Rhodes Scholars in 2018. Of the U.S. contingent, 21 were women, the most ever. Besides Singh, 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 Nikki van den Heever (CivEngr鈥�17; MEngr鈥�19) made the final round.

At Oxford, Singh plans to study public policy, criminology and criminal justice, preparation for law school in the United States. Her long-term ambition, she said, is a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

鈥淧eople often hold themselves back through their own fear or self-doubt,鈥� said Ross Taylor of 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 College of Media, Communications and Information, who has taught Singh in several courses. 鈥淪erene may have doubt, but she overcomes it and is fearless.鈥�
 

鈥淭here鈥檚 no dull at all in bhangra,鈥� Singh said, noting it means 鈥榠ntoxicated with joy.鈥� 鈥淚 think life should be lived like that, too.鈥�

Before Singh leaves for the U.K., she鈥檚 got half a semester to enjoy at 欧美口爆视频 still, plus a running list of off-campus projects and adventures in mind.

She鈥檒l wrap up the thesis, finalize plans for life overseas and convene with her Truman Scholar class in Washington. She wants to skydive, visit Hanging Lake near Glenwood Springs, see the world鈥檚 biggest collection of keys, stage a fashion show for the Serenity Project and leave the National Sikh Youth Program in trusted hands.

If it seems like Singh rarely rests, you鈥檙e onto something.

鈥淚 could do a much better job,鈥� she said.

So, she dances whenever she gets a chance, even if it鈥檚 just a few steps on the way to class 鈥� ballet, hip-hop, bhangra.

It energizes her.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no dull at all in bhangra,鈥� she said, noting it means 鈥榠ntoxicated with joy.鈥� 鈥淚 think life should be lived like that, too.鈥�


In our print edition, this story appears under the title "Oxford Bound."
Comment on this story? Email editor@colorado.edu.

Photos by Glenn Asakawa (Journ'86). To view more outtakes of our cover, click here.

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NOW 鈥� January 2018 

In 鈥淭he Rehearsal Artist,鈥� a new work by 欧美口爆视频 Boulder dance professor Michelle Ellsworth, the artist rotates inside an eight-foot-diameter wooden wheel. The audience sees only her head, encased in a box with an assortment of loose items 鈥� dolls, food, tiny furniture, plants. Ellsworth is fixed in position, but the objects all move, prompting reflection about 鈥渢he nature of stability.鈥�

The New York Times proclaimed the work, performed at the American Realness festival in New York in January, 鈥渆ccentric and marvelously original.鈥�

Photo by Nicholas Cote

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For acrobat Marisa Kellogg (IntlAf鈥�10), adventure is a continuous call.

Take, for instance, the time she was part of Boulder鈥檚 AscenDance Project, a group of dancers who perform a choreographed routine on a rock wall 鈥�&苍产蝉辫;without ropes.

Circus filled a void gymnastics left.

Or the period in 2016 she spent in the jungles of Colombia teaching acrobatics in Spanish. Or last year, when she helped lead a three-week children鈥檚 circus camp in the tiny town of Talkeetna, Alaska, population 876. 

鈥淢ovement is a lifestyle for me,鈥� said Kellogg, 28, who started gymnastics when she was four. 鈥淭o me it鈥檚 a form of play 鈥� using and challenging my body in different ways for optimal physical and mental well-being.鈥�

Originally from Washington, D.C., Kellogg is manager of the Fractal Tribe, a professional circus arts troupe based at the Boulder Circus Center. The group combines theatrics with dance, fire, acrobatics, aerial arts and music for audiences at festivals, theaters and conventions. 

鈥淲e are made up of scientists, programmers, healers, teachers and activists,鈥� said Kellogg, who lives full-time at the center, located on Boulder鈥檚 26th Street, near Jay Road. 

Kellogg鈥檚 competitive gymnastics career was sidelined by a back injury when she was 16 years old. But she still craved active performance and found an outlet in Boulder. 

鈥淐ircus filled a void that gymnastics left,鈥� said Kellogg. In performances, she does everything from partner acrobatics 鈥� including counter balances and adagios 鈥� to hand balancing. At 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 Arise music festival in August 2017, she performed a fire dancing set on stage. 

鈥淚鈥檝e performed with fire fans, palm torches, double staffs and a fire hoop,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e gotten used to the smell of burnt hair.鈥� 

Off stage, Kellogg teaches adult gymnastics and circus classes. She helps her students develop better spatial and body awareness through activities like handstands, strength development and partner moves. 

鈥淢arisa brings her passion for community, play and collaboration into everything that she does,鈥� said Fractal Tribe producer Lani Gordon. 鈥淗er movement and performance are a direct representation of her personality: Focused, committed, connected and skillful.鈥� 

For Kellogg, part of the job is to be ready for the unexpected. 鈥淥nce, we performed outdoors for a fire festival in below freezing temperatures, and it was snowing so hard the stage turned into an ice rink,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he obstacles that come up are part of the process. Unless someone鈥檚 safety is at risk, the show must go on!鈥� 

Photo courtesy Steve Stoytchev Photography

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Saturn Finale

The dramatic September end of NASA鈥檚 Cassini mission concluded a 20-year run aboard the spacecraft for 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS), which helped analyze Saturn鈥檚 rings and moons.

1997

Year Cassini left Earth

4.9

Billion miles traveled

294

Saturn orbits completed

$12M

Cost of 欧美口爆视频-built UVIS

6

Moons discovered 

453,048

Images taken by Cassini

9/15

Cassini vaporized in Saturn's atmosphere 

Heard Around Campus

In Boulder you're more likely to hear the whoosh of a cyclist than the shrill of a siren...鈥�

 

鈥�&苍产蝉辫;National Geographic, which in October named Boulder 鈥淗appiest City in the U.S.鈥�

A Legend Among Us

Dance Magazine this fall named Lorenzo 鈥淩ennie鈥� Harris, an artist-in-residence at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, a 鈥淟iving Legend,鈥� placing him in the company of Fred Astaire, Pina Bausch and Misty Copeland, all past honorees.

A hip-hop choreographer from Philadelphia, Harris has received high praise before: In 2015, The New York Times called him 鈥渢he most profound choreographer of that idiom.鈥�

Harris is the founder of Rennie Harris Puremovement, a dance company that preserves and disseminates hiphop culture. He has taught at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder since 2009.

Dance Magazine annually recognizes artists who have 鈥渓eft a lasting impact on dance.鈥�

Twins Aid Marijuana Research 

As more states consider legalizing recreational marijuana use, scientists are trying to understand how it plays out in people鈥檚 lives.

With a $5.5 million award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a research team from 欧美口爆视频 Boulder and the University of Minnesota will assess whether legalization promotes use, for example, and try to identify the consequences of use for work, family and mental health. There鈥檚 little existing scientific evidence.

The team will study 1,250 sets of previously researched twins in 欧美口爆视频, where sales of recreational marijuana have been permitted since 2014, and 1,250 sets of twins in Minnesota, where it remains illegal. Using the Minnesota twins as a control group, the scientists will look for behavioral changes in the 欧美口爆视频 twins since 2014.

鈥淭here is clear need for solid scientific evidence,鈥� said study co-leader John Hewitt, director of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 Institute for Behavioral Genetics.

The study could result in more concrete guidelines. 欧美口爆视频 and Washington were the first states to legalize recreational marijuana use, in 2012.

For more details, visit 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Today online.

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The 69th annual Conference on World Affairs brought thousands of people to campus April 10-14 for nearly 200 talks, panels and performances, including an improv aerial dance featuring Lena Gutschank, left. She is a founding member of the German circus research and lobby group Netzwerk Zirkus.

Photo by Patrick Campbell.

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