Homecoming dance: a rare reunion brings Pilobolus, MOMIX, and BodyVox back.

Baryshnikov loved our fries and tuna melts! The cafe at the Hop has good food," notes a smiling Margaret Lawrence, director of programming at the Hopkins Center of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The cafe to which she refers is a focal point of student life and a big hit with the visiting artists she brings to campus. The "Hop" is the affectionate nickname for the prestigious Hopkins Center, currently celebrating its fortieth season as a presenting organization. To mark the anniversary, Lawrence produced a series of concerts and master classes in January 2003 featuring Pilobolus, MOMIX, and BodyVox, three influential modern dance companies, each with roots at Dartmouth and whose members have fond memories of the Hop.

"I chose Dartmouth because of the Hop," explains Alison Chase, one of the four artistic directors of Pilobolus. Chase began teaching at Dartmouth in 1970 and it was her modern dance class that brought together the original members of the company. "[The Hop] fostered all of the arts under one roof: drama, music, film," she says. "Plus, the student union, the cafe, theaters, and galleries were there. There was a great diversity of interests that intersected and passed through the Hop."

Such interdisciplinary exchange is one advantage of studying at a liberal arts institution like Dartmouth and was a major factor in creating fertile ground for the nontraditional dancemakers of Pilobolus. "It is a more free environment than a conservatory," Chase continues. "Some people like the tunnel vision of going somewhere like Juilliard, where it is dance, dance, and more dance. But I think the more crossover, the better."

According to Moses Pendleton, an original Pilobolus founder who now directs MOMIX, Dartmouth did not have as much dance in the early days as it does now. "You went to Dartmouth to do different things. Being in other fields gave us a sense of openness when we began making dances," he explains. "Dartmouth teaches you how to think for yourself. And to make a dance you have to have something in your head, not just your body." Pendleton majored in English literature, while other members of Pilobolus received degrees in philosophy and psychology.

Dancers at Dartmouth today continue the tradition of broad liberal arts studies since there is not a formal dance major. Ford Evans, formerly of the University of Utah department of modern dance and Utah Repertory Dance Theatre, leads the Hop's dance program, which offers daily technique classes, and directs the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble, one of nine campus performing ensembles supported by the Hop. Students do not receive academic credit, although the classes may be used to satisfy the school's physical education requirements. Ford also conducts independent study in dance composition, with credits given through the theater department. There are other campus dance opportunities as well (like Sheba, a popular hip-hop troupe) that spring up based on the interests and talents of students. The Hop also sponsors a visiting artist series that, according to dance critic Jennifer Dunning, has included "nearly every major American modern dance troupe" as well as classical ballet, jazz dance, and companies from other countries.

While the Hop bubbles over with the exchange of ideas and multiple voices, just outside lie the rugged mountains and forests of rural New Hampshire. The quiet isolation of Dartmouth's campus was a lifestyle influence that each Pilobolus director has since maintained. Chase and her co-directors, Robby Barnett, Michael Tracy, and Jonathan Wolken, avoid being based in New York City. Pilobolus and MOMIX work in Connecticut, while BodyVox is based in Oregon. "A rural setting allows one to focus on making work without distraction," says Chase. "A contemplative, calming environment is the best place to birth our pieces."

The sense of collective experimentation that is a trademark of Pilobolus also spawned a choreographic succession of MOMIX (created by Pendleton in 1981), ISO Dance (founded in 1986 by four members of MOMIX), and BodyVox (started in 1997 by Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland of ISO). Hampton, a Dartmouth alum, is a former Pilobolus member and both he and his wife, Roland, danced for MOMIX.

"The Hop anniversary concert was the first time [Pilobolus, MOMIX, and BodyVox] all performed together," explains Tracy. "We all feel a lasting influence from Dartmouth, our place of origin. It was nice to pause, reflect, and celebrate with our colleagues. And now, we will continue to work."

Darrah Carr is a New York City based writer, choreographer, and teacher, active in both the Irish and modern dance communities.