The final weekend of October saw more than 70 Beloit dance alumni return to campus for a joyous celebration of the major’s 30 year anniversary and to honor Chris Johnson’s time as a dance professor at Beloit.
Chris Johnson is retiring from teaching dance, and will only be teaching a kinesiology course. Students worked with the department to plan a three-day event for alumni to reconnect, meet current students, and dance together again.
Johnson created the dance major in 1993, which continued to develop when Gina T’ai was hired in 2009. This fall semester, the program was integrated with music and theatre to create the new Performing and Applied Arts major.
On Friday, Oct. 25, attendees gathered for rehearsals and a happy hour hosted in the Powerhouse. Saturday events began in the morning with Johnson leading her final jazz class in the Stack. More than 40 participants followed her movements, chatting and reuniting with friends.
That evening, there was an alumni dance performance with both solo and group dances in Hendricks Studio 1, an event that also included multimedia performances and two films. The final piece, performed by a group of current Beloit students, was choreographed by Zoe Koenig’18. One performer, Lily Watkins’12, described the experience as “whimsical, nostalgic, and a little surreal.” She added, “I never thought I’d be back dancing with all my friends.”
Sunday marked the final day of the event, with Dance Church, led by Gabe Gonzalez’20, followed by good-byes.
Johnson and T’ai appreciated the opportunity to catch up with former students. “I’m excited to see students I haven’t seen in 10 or 15 years; I have such deep love for all of them,” T’ai says. “I’m also excited to connect the current students with them.” The combination of alumni and current students in attendance made the weekend an exceptional networking opportunity. “A big chunk of us in the class would like to go pro, so it’s nice to have this reunion to find out a little more about a future in dance,” says current Beloit senior Emma Logas’25. “We can make connections and they can help us in the future. I’ve made a few connections already and it honestly took a weight off my shoulders.”
The weekend provided a special opportunity both for current students and alumni, highlighting the strength of the Beloit dance community and celebrating Johnson’s immense impact on the program and students themselves.
December 11, 2024
