ABOUT US
Harvard's Expressions Dance Company (EDC) is a completely student-run company showcasing hip hop dance.
Founded in 1978 with its inaugural performances in the spring of 1979, EDC has a long legacy of artistic achievement which spans other forms of contemporary dance beyond its current focus on hip hop. The company is built on three guiding principles, which we strive to promote in all areas of the organization:
Creativity, Confidence, and Community.
CREATIVITY
In Expressions, we urge our choreographers and dancers to incorporate a variety of styles into their movement and to use diverse choreography as a platform for their stories, emotions, and concepts. We welcome dancers to develop their relationship with hip hop through their own experience and understanding of other dance genres, techniques, and inspirations. By sharing their own self-expressions with fellow dancers and audience members, Expressions dancers create a transformative experience within every piece.
CONFIDENCE
Expressions choreographers and dancers collaborate with one another and challenge each another to rise to each individual’s potential, learning skills and gaining confidence for on and off the dance-floor. Expressions strives to provide opportunities for dancers of every level to grow and develop. While Company Piece serves as a non-audition option for dancers of all levels to perform in our bi-annual shows and showcases a variety of styles, dancers also have the opportunity to join pieces led by specific choreographers, which allows for deeper immersion into a specific style or vision over the course of the semester. The performance and competition subset, EXP, provides the opportunity for more experienced dancers to be challenged with more advanced choreography taught at a faster pace.
COMMUNITY
From company-wide social events to a series of open workshops, Expressions seeks to create a community on campus, bringing students together to dance, socialize, and learn from one another. All members, regardless of tenure or leadership, hold a valuable stake within the company and are to feel respected and encouraged at all times. Expressions endeavors to shape an inclusive environment where dancers of all levels, backgrounds, and identities feel comfortable and welcome. This sense of dedication to each other and the company as a whole has prospered from the birth of EDC, as the founders sought to create a space in which dance could uplift and represent voices, movements, and causes for the benefit of the greater good.