“FSU has allowed me to contribute to the arts at the university, in the community and beyond.”
Graduating senior Hannah Barnard can certainly relate to the sentiment expressed by the esteemed choreographer Martha Graham, who once said, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”
Like Graham, Barnard can also relate to the challenges and fulfillment that choreography provides. In the fall of 2010, a piece the young dance major choreographed was selected to be performed in Days of Dance, an annual FSU School of Dance production.
“The dance department at FSU not only provides solid instruction in both ballet and contemporary dance, it also makes many choreographic opportunities available to students,” Barnard said.
Coming to Florida State from Pittsburgh, Barnard was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma honor society as a freshman and has since maintained a 3.83 GPA. In addition to excelling in the performing arts and academics, she has been active in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at FSU, and has served as a study leader for an IVCF women’s group.
Last summer, Barnard conducted a choreographic project in England, and for that she received an Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Award from FSU. Recipients of the annual awards present their research findings and creative endeavors at a fall symposium, and they are also published in The Owl, the university’s undergraduate research publication.
Also last fall, Barnard took part in the FSU-NYC Dance Experience, during which she learned more about the overall art scene in New York City. She was also one of just four choreographers selected to submit a piece for performance at New York’s Dixon Place experimental theater.
“FSU has allowed me to contribute to the arts at the university, in the community and beyond,” Barnard said.
Barnard has served the local community through her involvement in Florida State’s Dance Repertory Theatre, which conducts demonstrations for local students and dance workshops for adults, as well as performances at community events.
Having been inspired by her visit to New York City, Barnard plans to pursue a career there as a choreographer, instructor and administrator.
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