VOL. CLXXIV NO.87
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Faculty discuss Duthu’s decision at termly meeting
CLOUDY HIGH 73 LOW 52
By JULIAN NATHAN and PETER CHARALAMBOUS The Dartmouth Staff
ERIN LEE/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
OPINION
SANDLUND: THE ARTS STRIKE BACK PAGE 4
GHAVRI: WAR CRIMES AND DATES PAGE 4
ARTS
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: ANGIE LEE ’17 PAGE 8
TV REVIEW: ‘TWIN PEAKS’ AND ITS RETURN PAGE 7
SENIOR RECITALS MARK CULMINATION OF MUSICAL EFFORT PAGE 7 FOLLOW US ON
TWITTER @thedartmouth COPYRIGHT © 2017 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.
Around 50 protesters attended Monday’s faculty of arts and sciences meeting in Alumni Hall supporting Native American studies professor N. Bruce Duthu ’80’s appointment as dean of the faculty.
Yesterday afternoon, over 150 faculty members and around 50 student demonstrators gathered at Alumni Hall for the termly faculty of arts and sciences meeting. The meeting followed College President Phil Hanlon’s campus-wide email earlier yesterday afternoon announcing that N. Bruce Duthu ’80 had declined his appointment to dean of faculty of arts and sciences following weeks of discussion surrounding his appointment. Student demonstrators attended the meeting in support of Duthu, carrying signs that read “Fight 4 Faculty of Color” SEE DUTHU PAGE 5
Daniel Benjamin Dartmouth EMS expands, sworn in to council collects accolades By ALEX FREDMAN
The Dartmouth Staff
Daniel Benjamin, the directorof theDickeyCenterfor International Understanding, was sworn in as a member of the Council of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. on April 25. Benjamin was nominated
for the position in January by then-President Barack Obama. The membership follows Benjamin’s career as a journalist and public servant covering related topics. The Council, consisting of 55 members each serving five-year terms, acts as the SEE BENJAMIN PAGE 3
By REBECCA FLOWERS The Dartmouth
Since its founding in 1991, Dartmouth Emergency Medical Services has made strides in outreach and coverage. These efforts, driven by students, has brought the organization the Striving for Excellence and HEARTSafe Campus awards
at the 2017 Conference of the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation, which was held this February in Baltimore, Maryland. A student-run program founded in 1991, Dartmouth EMS is an active member of the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation. The foundation
was founded in 1993 in order to connect collegiate EMS teams across the country, according to Norther n New England Regional Coordinator at NCEMSF Kate Marquis. Every year, NCEMSF hosts a national conference, which includes speakers, SEE EMS PAGE 5
Tuck Runs for Veterans draws over 170 participants By MIKA JEHOON LEE The Dartmouth Staff
On May 13, over 170 Dartmouth students, faculty and Upper Valley community members participated in the annual Tuck Runs for Veterans. This fundraising event aimed to help the Veterans Education and Research Association of Northern New England, a nonprofit based in White River Junction,
purchase a wheelchair-accessible van that can transport local veterans to events in the Upper Valley and surrounding areas. This year, the fundraiser consisted of two events: a 1K run for children and a 5K run. The fundraiser was co-hosted by the Tuck Armed Forces Alumni Association, the Tuck Athletic Club and the Veterans SEE TUCK PAGE 3
TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Dartmouth members participated in fundaising races for a veteran association.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
Q&A with women’s, gender and sexuality studies professor Eng-Beng Lim on his new book and his upcoming projects By FRANCES COHEN The Dartmouth Staff
Women’s, gender and sexuality studies professor Eng-Beng Lim looks at intersectionality, critical race studies and feminist gender studies within the fields of performance and cultural studies, Asian-American studies, postcolonial/diaspora studies and queer/transnational studies. His book “Brown Boys and Rice Queens: Spellbinding Performance in the Asias” has received national awards. What is your area of study and interest here at Dartmouth? EL: My work is very interdisciplinary, and I am very much interested in thinking about how we might organize knowledge across different fields in order to get a better understanding of how gender, race and sexuality are experienced and performed, both in everydaylifeandinculturalproductions, in theater spaces, in festivals, parades, literary representations and so on. So what primarily interests me is the way that queer histories and experiences are conveyed culturally and how those differences are understood across time and space, from the colonial past to our transnational diasporic present. As a performance theorist as well as a cultural critic, I am interested in thinking about how these different histories are represented on stage, on the page, and how we might imagine a world where social justice, equality and livable futures can be held by all. Because my work touches upon so many different ways of thinking about these issues, I work with students from across the disciplines, from the humanities, the sciences, the social sciences, and students who are premed. What classes have you taught at Dartmouth in the past? EL: Some of the classes I have taught thus far include “Queer Popular Culture” and “Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies,” and I just proposed to the Gender Research Institute at Dartmouth an experiential learning course in New York City for its related advanced gender studies seminar. That is a course that will
enable students to think queer, write queer, feel queer and taste queer. This course is going to enable them to go to New York and visit places such as the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, the Stonewall Inn and the Guggenheim [Museum], as well as attend a drag show, to figure out for themselves what kinds of queer possibilities can be imagined, experienced and implemented. The other courses that I’ve taught, such as “Queer Popular Culture,” take a very broad approach to understanding queer popular culture in all its different manifestations. We examine queer popular culture’s manifestation in the United States through “Orange Is the New Black,” for instance, or a number of other theatrical and performance cultures that are practiced by queercolored collectives. We also look at queer cultures around the world, such as ones in Japan, and think about how we might understand the phenomenon that critics have called “global queering,” which is the dissemination of Western-based LGBT cultures to the rest of the world, supposedly helping to liberate sexual minorities in third-world countries. We look at the sexual politics of many of these cultural manifestations and practices and debate what and how these practices constitute queer and popular culture.
Can you tell me a bit about your book? EL: “Brown Boys and Rice Queens: Spellbinding Performance in the Asias” is a book that I wrote to investigate the queer dimensions of colonial orientalism and understand how Asian performance, broadly construed, is embroiled in the encounters of what I call a colonial diet, the “white man brown boy” diet, that is often under the radar, vis-á-vis a more familiar heterosexual Orientalist diet, the “white man brown woman” diet, that is central to postcolonial critique. I was very curious about the ways in which the “white man brown boy” diet is embedded in Asian performance and how the diet in its conceptual, sexual, performative and ethnographic configurations produce different kinds of Asian performances. What I’m trying to do in that book was to
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com. Correction Appended (May 18, 2017): A previous of the article “College revenue dipped slightly in fiscal year 2016” incorrectly stated that contributions and grants decreased and investment income increased in fiscal year 2016, when in fact they increased and decreased, respectively. Hanlon’s compensation was also incorrectly reported. The article has been updated to reflect these changes.
configure a transnational configuration of the Asias, using Bali, Singapore and Asian America as three sites to think about the movements, histories and encounters of the “white man brown boy” diet, and how it organizes exotic, diasporic and transnational understanding of Asian sexuality and in particular, Asian male sexuality. The book opens up alternative interpretations of texts that are in circulation but which curiously have suppressed the homoerotics of the encounters that are constitutive of their production. What are the projects you are currently working on? EL: One of the projects I’m working on right now deals with toxic masculinity and queer intoxications in performance. I’m interested in thinking about the ways in which hetero-patriarchal formations of gender are making a comeback in the Trump era. How might we understand queer intoxication as one way of understanding the pushback? One of the archives I’m looking at involves what I’m calling “ethnocuties,” which is an archive of boys who are photographed in Bali, Southeast Asia and Southern Europe at the turn of the century by European artists. I’m trying to figure out how to make a connection between different ideas of masculinity that are produced in these global encounters from the early 20th century to the present, where we’re seeing waves of Korean pop music and cute boy bands that are taking the world over by storm, particularly in Asia. What was it like to be put on Turning Point USA’s Professor Watchlist earlier this year for your class on the Orlando
COURTESY OF ENG-BENG LIM
Women’s, gender and sexuality studies professor Eng-Beng Lim is working on a project that explores masculinity and queer intoxications in performances.
shooting? EL: I don’t think very much about that list because it forecloses productive and critical inquiries, even provocative debates, as well as a kind of openness to difference that are not part of the intellectual coachers that we want to sustain in the university classroom. I don’t think very much about it and am certainly not very bothered that I am the only professor on campus to be in this role. I think that, like a lot of the toxic public discourse that is happening in the Trump nation, the list’s rhetoric and logic is part of that. That is to say, the list is motivated by a set of rigid and narrow ideological viewpoints of the world, so I would much rather talk to my students, my colleagues and the public about my work, ideas, inquiries and research, and not to put that work and research on the defense. The defensive postures that are mandated by the necessary responses to these ideological formations are just not productive for an open, diverse and progressive understanding of the world. What are your hobbies or
activities that you enjoy outside the classroom? EL: Many of my interests are context-specific and geographically defined. When I’m in Hanover, I like to garden and do a lot of planting in the spring. In New York, I love going to see shows, museum installations and performances. I love to read commentaries and op-eds. I’m part of an academic blog called the Bully Bloggers, and I write for that collective. I’m also part of an editorial collective called Social Text, so I do a lot of thinking and writing collectively, which is something I enjoy. I love traveling and being in the midst of intellectual artists, especially those who are on the fringe, on the edge and who are experimental, not just for the sake of being experimental but to use experimentation as a way to push the boundaries and help us think about worlds that are yet unseen, and desires, futures and visions that are yet unknown. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
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Daniel Benjamin appointed to council Dartmouth community members run for charity FROM BENJAMIN PAGE 1
Holocaust Museum’s governing board of trustees and meets twice a year. Since opening in 1993, the museum, which is an independent establishment of the U.S. government and the site of a prominent Holocaust research center, has received 40 million visitors. “I think [the museum] has changed the consciousness of many, many Americans who would have [had] otherwise no reason to think about the Holocaust or about mass atrocities,” Benjamin said. Benjamin added that in his new position, he hopes to use his knowledge and experience to further the museum’s mission by engaging in fundraising and publicizing efforts. He also said he wants to use his connection to bring some of the museum’s traveling exhibitions or resident historians to Dartmouth. “I’m really particularly interested to see what we can do to broaden the impact of the museum and help it become a presence and a source of learning for more people around the country and around the world,” he said. Benjamin will bring with him a long track record of experience to his new position. He started his career as a journalist, and he worked in Germany from 1990 to 1994, where he was bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal and a correspondent for Time Magazine. In 1994, Benjamin joined the executive branch as a foreign policy speechwriter and special assistant to former President Bill Clinton, serving on the National Security Council staff. Benjamin said that the Rwandan genocide hung heavily over the White House when he first arrived, and that
he wrote several speeches about the wars and ethnic violence in the former Yugoslavia. He added that the last speech he wrote in that position was for Clinton’s 1998 visit to Rwanda. “This was a period when people were deeply concerned about mass atrocities, ethnic violence and the like,” Benjamin said. “The notion of genocide prevention was one that attracted me a lot when I was in government.” After the Clinton administration, Benjamin worked as a fellow for several Washington D.C. think tanks, including the United States Institute of Peace and the Brookings Institution. Benjamin rejoined the federal government in 2009, when he served in the State Department as an Ambassador-At-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism. Following this position, Benjamin came to Dartmouth in 2013 as director of the Dickey Center. “We are extremely proud to have Benjamin representing the Dickey Center and Dartmouth on the Council of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Museum’s Committee on Conscience,” Provost Carolyn Dever wrote in an email statement. As part of his role on the Council, Benjamin will also serve on its Committee on Conscience, which plays a public advocacy role by raising concerns about acts of anti-Semitism, mass violence and xenophobia around the world, according to Benjamin. The committee also works in conjunction with the museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide. As director of the Dickey Center, Benjamin has worked with this organization during the last several years on the Early Warning Project, an
Internet-based monitoring portal that provides analyses of countries around the world at risk of state-sponsored mass killings. The project is run by the Dickey Center, the Holocaust Museum and Dartmouth government professor Benjamin Valentino. Valentino said that the project uses a variety of statistical models to forecast the risk of atrocities around the world, which involves inputting variables such as democratization, economic conditions and history of violence in each country. In addition, the project collects personal predictions from a pool of 150 experts on genocide and mass atrocities. “When we put all those variables together, we get an assessment of each country’s risk,” Valentino said. “So the model tells us for each country, each year, what are the chances that, based on these historical patterns, it will have an event.” Valentino added that he believes Benjamin’s new position with the museum will open new doors by helping the Early Warning Project to expand. “I think the Holocaust Museum is doing more than almost anybody to try to raise awareness of [mass atrocities] and to help prevent future events like that from happening,” Valentino said. For Benjamin, the threat of mass violence and xenophobia today is very real. He said we are living in a “scary” time in history, citing a recent 80 percent increase in anti-Semitic activity and an analogous increase in homophobic activity in the United States. These incidents, he said, in addition to the threat of global terrorist organizations such as ISIS and Boko Haram, make education essential for raising peoples’ consciences. “It’s clear that the election of 2016 gave a lot of people with some pretty hateful ideas a kind of license to express them and even to act them out,” Benjamin said. “So I think it’s all the more important to be supportive of institutions like the Holocaust Museum at this time.”
out,” Berke said. Proceeds from the 2016 event went Education and Research Association to funding the emergency relief efforts of Northern New England. The Tuck of Project VetCare, a Hanover-based Armed Forces Alumni Association nonprofit organization founded in includes 33 veterans who are current 2012 to provide services to local Tuck students. Jon Torbett Tu’18, veterans such as assistance with a lead organizer of the event and applications for veterans’ benefits. T his year, the a member of association needed the Tuck Armed “We actually had a new beneficiary Forces Alumni as Project VetCare Association, said more people sign up is no longer the association this year for the 5K...” in operation, is currently according to processing the Berke. Berke, who funds raised from -JARETT BERKE TU’17, is a board member the event as well CO-PRESIDENT OF THE of VERANNE, as reaching out said he suggested t o i n d i v i d u a l TUCK ARMED FORCES VERANNE as a donors and local ALUMNI ASSOCIATION recipient because p h i l a n t h ro p i c he is familiar with organizations for the organization’s more donations. All donations will go toward the mission. Established in 1989, VERANNE purchase of the van, which costs at is a nonprofit corporation that least $20,000, according to Torbett. Kathleen Durante Tu’18, who administers funding for research participated in the run, said she decided and education programs at Veterans to run because she wanted to help Affairs medical centers in the Upper support local veterans. Durante said Valley and surrounding areas. In the she has been involved in other events past, the corporation has supported that raised money for veterans such as adaptive sports programs, education charity bike rides, and decided to bring for VA medical center staff and her family to take part in the 5K run laboratory studies of chronic and infectious diseases. Executive director as well. The first Tuck Runs for Veterans of VERANNE Priscilla West said the took place last spring and consisted wheelchair-accessible van for which the of a 1K run for children, a 5K run fundraising event raised money would and a 10K run. Co-president of be used to transport local veterans the Tuck Armed Forces Alumni to and from different VA medical Association Jarett Berke Tu’17 said centers so that they can participate in hosting three different races was various education programs such as relatively expensive and logistically therapeutic sports activities. According to Torbett, in addition complicated. For these reasons, the association decided to remove the to Tuck Runs for Veterans, the Tuck 10K race from the event this year, Armed Forces Alumni Association hosts an annual community outreach he said. “We actually had more people event in which veterans at Tuck play sign up this year for the 5K than we sled hockey with members of Ice had last year in total, so that was a Vets, an ice hockey team composed judgement call that ended up working of disabled local veterans. FROM TUCK PAGE 1
A BRUSH WITH BEAUTY
TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The B.R.U.S.H.E.D. art installment is hanging in Collis Atrium and challenges a Eurocentric standard of beauty.
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
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STAFF COLUMNIST WILLIAM SANDLUND ’18
STAFF COLUMNIST ANMOL GHAVRI ’18
The Arts Strike Back
War Crimes and Dates
The College can improve by offering more creative outlets to students. The two terms I took creative classes at Dartmouth stand apart in my memory. They were in the spring and summer terms, and the nice weather played a part in my heightened sense of well-being. But there was something stress-relieving about being graded for creating as opposed to analyzing. Instead of answering questions, I was exploring their meanings. One assignment asked that I write about a problem from a friend’s perspective. I ended up writing a cathartic short story where I articulated my homesickness for Singapore and high school. At the time, I didn’t even think it was helpful; I just needed to write a story for class. This particular topic was simply the first thing I thought of. I wrote out the whole thing in one sitting. It is not a good story — there are moments of subtlety, but for the most part it is clearly the work of a confused 19 year old. Yet now when I think back to freshman spring, I have memories of sunlight and class in Sanborn House, daydreaming about stories. I feel nostalgic for that term I was directed to express emotions. There is a perfect balance between distance and proximity that allows for the expression of certain emotions. Once you have achieved whatever you aimed to express, the feeling recedes from you. It may be the fear of not finding something else that will move you as much. Once you have articulated that feeling, you understand that it made you feel alive in a way that is now confined to words on paper, indelibly recorded in the moment of crisis and now duller. I subsequently took a film class to recapture what I had that spring. I learned to appreciate the art of editing and met Warren Schorr ’18, a musician who goes by Ticker Tape on Bandcamp. We discussed art and Dartmouth’s creative scene. WSa: Do you think being an artist is solitary? WSc: No, go to Wesleyan [University]. WSa: So you think being an artist at Wesleyan is less lonely than being an artist at Dartmouth? WSc: Oh yeah dude, are you kidding me? WSa: You don’t think there’s something inherent to creating things that is solitary? WSc: No. I think one might say rowing [and] endurance sports are solitary because ultimately what you can do is how fast you can do it on your own. Here it is more solitary than it needs to be because people don’t care as much. Wesleyan, there’s a very big music scene, [New York University] has a very big music scene. I think it’s something kids should know before coming here.
WSa: You don’t think you gain anything from being one of the few people here who cares a lot about creative things? That in a way it allows you to expand out more than you otherwise could? WSc: The one thing it’s forced me to do is learn how to do everything myself because I just don’t have the choice. I think if I did have the choice I would just get lazy and rely more on other people. It forced me to learn different instruments and learn production techniques. WSa: But there’s no competition here, and isn’t that in itself kind of a nice thing for you? Or do you think that’s ridiculous? To think people would be competitive and cutthroat creatively? WSc: I think it’s hard for nerds to bully other nerds. WSa: But do you think that there are downsides to being part of a creative scene? WSc: I think with artsy groups of people, from what I’ve seen, I get irritated when I hear some of them talk about music. Some of them are posers. WSa: Do you find that depressing? WSc: Yeah I totally do, because then it becomes kind of fake. WSa: So it becomes a brand in itself. They have a brand now. Remember that guy we talked to? He was talking about his music, and he was very self-satisfied about the whole thing. WSc: I think a part of it is that some people don’t really care about what they’re making, but it’s just a label that defines them. I guess so that they can say they’re an artist, but they don’t care about what they’re actually making. I think the only way to make good art is to be self-critical and if you’re not, you end up being a poser. WSa: Do you think there’s a balance between taking pride in your work and being self-critical? Can you be self-critical and take pride in your work? WSc: Kanye West. WSa: You think he does that? WSc: He says he’s the greatest of all time, but he still asked Seth Rogan what he thought of his album. WSa: Is there anything else you want to talk about, Warren? Anything else you want to get off your breast? WSc: Off my breast? WSa: Yeah. WSc [after chewing a Nutter Butter for a long time]: No. I just wish this school had more resources for making music. That’s my only complaint. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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ISSUE
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
NEWS EDITOR: Sonia Qin, NEWS LAYOUT: Amanda Zhou
SUBMISSIONS: We welcome letters and guest columns. All submissions must include the author’s name and affiliation with Dartmouth College, and should not exceed 250 words for letters or 700 words for columns. The Dartmouth reserves the right to edit all material before publication. All material submitted becomes property of The Dartmouth. Please email submissions to editor@thedartmouth.com.
The U.S. arms deal with Saudi Arabia makes America complicit in war crimes. President Donald Trump left Washington want to export their ideology and prop up last week for his first international trip as friendly governments. Any action by one is commander in chief. He will be addressing perceived as a threat by the other, but this members of all three of the world’s perceived threat does not give Riyadh the Abrahamic religions during stops in Saudi right to continue their killing of innocents Arabia, Israel and the Vatican. On Saturday, and we should not be supporting them in this May 20 he arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia endeavor. and met with Saudi King Salman and a In addition to placing U.S. officials in variety of members of the royal family and jeopardy in international courts, Washington’s government. arms sale to a hyper-Wahhabi Saudi Arabia During Trump’s visit to Riyadh, the United supposedly fighting Shi’a revival and States and Saudi Arabia agreed to an up to expansion makes little sense if defeating $350 billion arms deal over the next decade in a Sunni-Wahhabi ISIS is a priority. Our which Riyadh will be purchasing American- support for Saudi Arabia should come with made weapons, tanks, ships and military conditions. Though it is a regional power, it technology. Assistant to the president and is essentially a single-export state dependent Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner allegedly on America’s security umbrella. If there worked to secure a discount for the Saudis was the political will and it was a priority, from Lockheed Martin. the United States could work to undercut The immediate American sale to Saudi public and private Saudi financial support of Arabia consists of $110 billion worth of Sunni-Wahhabi terrorism while restraining “tanks, combat ships, missile defense systems, indiscriminate Saudi military involvement, radar and communications and cyber security war crimes and human rights violations in technology.” $110 billion is more than former Yemen to fight Shi’ism at their border. President Barack Obama authorized in his In the end, Yemen is not even on the radar eight years in the White of American security House. The chief of “Washington and interests beyond denying the Pentagon’s Defense terrorist organizations Security Cooperation mainstream media space to operate, train or Agency, Vice Admiral Joe do not priororitize recruit. Washington and Rixey, stated that “when mainstream media do not Saudi war crimes in completed, it will be the prioritize Saudi war crimes largest single arms deal Yemen, exportation in Yemen, exportation of in American history.” Wahhabism or internal of Wahhabism or I have no doubt that human rights abuses these arms and military internal human rights except during presidential technologies will be absues except during elections. Ignoring the used by Saudi Arabia catastrophe presidential elections.” humanitarian to continue its brutal in the Middle East’s campaign in Yemen, poorest countr y and a c o u n t r y c u r re n t l y allowing Saudi Arabia ravaged by civil war and famine. Riyadh to continue violating international law to kill has intervened on behalf of Yemeni President civilians theoretically denies stateless space Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, a pro-Western to terror organizations. Sunni Muslim fighting Iranian-allied Zaydi Either we support Saudi Arabia, whose Shi’a Houthis in North Yemen. The Houthis, priority is protecting its hegemony in the a Zaydi-revivalist anti-Western and anti- region through supporting Sunni and imperialist insurgent group, were succeeding Wahhabi movements and denying Tehran in their efforts to gain control of Yemen in the proxies in the Levant and Yemen, or we work aftermath of the failed Yemeni Arab Spring with coalition partners and Kurds to fight uprising until Saudi Arabia intervened. Now, ISIS. The Saudis are not going to divert their by providing more weapons to support Saudi Yemeni efforts in curbing a Shi’a insurgency Arabia’s campaign of war crimes in Yemen, to sincerely fight fellow Wahhabis in the the United States becomes increasingly Levant unless the U.S. prioritizes changing complicit in Saudi Arabia’s indiscriminate their behavior. killing. I doubt the Trump administration will Saudi Arabia feels incredibly threatened recognize the complications, complexities by the Houthis on their southern border, and policy tradeoffs that come with trying especially since the Shi’a government in Iran to fight the terror group in Iraq and Syria is supporting them. However, that does not while bolstering a Wahhabi Saudi regime justify the indiscriminate way in which the that is currently committing war crimes in Saudis have intervened in Yemen. There Yemen and exporting the same puritanical was never a real threat of a Shi’a insurgency Islam of ISIS. It is a complicated game of spilling into Saudi Arabia — Riyadh is just policy Twister that a television personalityparanoid in the aftermath of the Iranian turned-president cannot begin to grasp. nuclear deal and Tehran’s involvement in Indeed, I would bet a great deal of money Iraq and the Levant. The Zaydi-Houthis, that Trump and his closest advisors do not a major party in Yemen’s Arab Spring that know the difference between Sunni and Shi’a has been involved in an insurgency against Islam yet alone Wahhabis, Alawites or Zaydis. Yemen since 1990, are currently receiving While such ignorance may be acceptable for financial and intelligence support and arms civilians, it should not be for the commander from Tehran. Iran and Saudi Arabia both in chief of the United States.
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TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
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Dartmouth EMS wins Faculty vote to support Duthu conference awards FROM DUTHU PAGE 1
FROM EMS PAGE 1
networking events and a “skills classic,” in which teams are tested in a variety of scenarios, Marquis said. Over 100 teams attended the conference, this year, which also includes an awards ceremony. In the 2014-2015 academic year, current director of operations for Dartmouth EMS Joseph Minichiello ’17 and Brett Teplitz ’15 worked on a proposal to help Dartmouth EMS become independent of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center by operating through the American Heart Association. Minichiello said that this gave the program more independence and control, generating significant growth. “My freshman year about 200 people that year got certified [in first aid and CPR], and then we had almost 500 students the following year once we became independent,” Minichiello said. Dartmouth EMS saw similar growth in the number of certified CPR instructor s from three instructors before the program’s expansion to more than 25 now, which allows them much greater public outreach, according to Minichiello. Moreover, Dartmouth EMS has a community training program for first aid and CPR. Minichiello said training is especially in demand in the spring term once First-Year Trips leaders and Croo members have been accepted, with three to four CPR and first aid classes per week. “This weekend alone coming up there’s four classes with up to 24 people in each of them, so you’re looking at 80 plus people,” Minichiello said. Community training can also include faculty and graduate students and other community members. The chemistry department, for example, requires the training for some of its faculty, and, in recent years, some local coaches arranged classes for their hockey team. One recent example in the Dartmouth community was the incident at the Dartmouth Idol Finals in which a musician collapsed and was resuscitated by CPR. One of the students that responded took a CPR class with Dartmouth EMS, Minichiello said. “[It’s] really rewarding to see the impact that we do have on the community,” Minichiello said. Though shifts, training and other services take up a large portion of the week, the team also holds weekly internal training sessions, which can include anything from
scenario simulations to case reviews to lectures. “Next week we’re having a pediatric lecture by an [emergency room] doctor talking about differences between adults and pediatrics, whether that’s anatomically or physiologically or psychologically and how we can best address those differences when we’re interacting with pediatric patients,” Dartmouth EMS director of training Ian Speers ’17 said. The Striving for Excellence award is given to the EMS organization that represents “the gold standard for campus EMS delivery and care,” according to the NCEMSF website. In the application for the award, Minichiello said Dartmouth EMS had to prove its “preparedness,” an assessment that included how many hours of coverage its members provide with regular shifts, how large its training program is, how closely it interacts with other emergency agencies such as the Hanover Fire Department and the protocols it has in place. The application for the award also included a section about maintaining the safety of the providers, which, at Dartmouth, includes bloodborne pathogens training through the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Creator of the HEARTSafe Campus award at NCEMSF Josh Glick adapted the award from a designation by the American Heart Association for communities with high preparedness and heart health awareness. Glick himself described the 11-page application a s “ ex t e n s i ve. ” I t r e q u i r e s demonstrating that the EMS team has trained a minimum of 2 to 4 percent of its college’s population, depending on campus size, that the team has extensive access to automatic external defibrillators and show that its response times are below minimum threshold. The team must also collect letters of support from administrative officials and demonstrate that it has promoted cardiac health awareness on campus. Only 25 collegiate EMS teams have been recognized in the last five years for the HEARTSafe Campus award. Both awards are selfnominating and require separate applications. “If you recognize that there are over 200, 300 organizations in the country for collegiate EMS, and there are dozens more college campuses, to be one of a select few that have met the requirements that we’ve laid out is pretty impressive,” Glick said. “We were proud to congratulate Dartmouth for winning the award.”
and “This is Why Faculty of Color Leave Dartmouth,” among other messages. At the beginning of the meeting, Hanlon said that Duthu had his “unwavering support” and that opposition to Duthu’s appointment originated from “external” sources, not from individuals on campus. During the meeting, several faculty members said that the administration should have done more to communicate its support for Duthu, comments that received applause from faculty and students alike. Italian language and literature professor Graziella Parati said during the meeting that it was important for Dartmouth faculty to show their support for Duthu to demonstrate their commitment to diversity. After Hanlon’s statement, current dean of faculty of arts and sciences Michael Mastanduno addressed the audience. He began by saying that he had “deep respect” for Duthu, who was to succeed Mastanduno on July 1, and said that Duthu’s credentials were “impeccable.” Mastanduno added that Duthu found himself in a “difficult” situation, and Mastanduno was “not interested in debating” whether or not Duthu was at fault for signing a declaration calling for the boycott of Israeli academic institutions in 2013. At certain points, faculty members and students alike interrupted Mastanduno with interjections supporting Duthu’s qualifications for the position. “I may be in full agreement with any of your signs, but please have the respect to allow the faculty to do its business,” Mastanduno responded at one point to an interrupting student.
After Mastanduno made the majority of his remarks regarding Duthu’s decision, one faculty member proposed a motion to vote to urge Duthu to reconsider declining his appointment. After the motion was seconded by another faculty member, Hanlon asked the faculty members present at the meeting if they were willing to vote on the motion. The vast majority of faculty members raised their hands in favor of voting on the motion while none raised their hands in opposition. Since at least two-thirds of the faculty were in favor of voting on the motion, Hanlon then asked faculty members to vote for or against urging Duthu to reconsider his resignation. After more than two-thirds of the faculty voiced their support again, Hanlon announced that the measure passed but did not specify further how Duthu would be notified of this motion. Julie Solomon ’17, who attended the meeting with a sign that read “Don’t Do DartMYTH,” said that she learned of the faculty meeting through friends, not through any campus organizations. She said that while she respected Duthu’s decision to refuse his appointment, she was upset because she believed that opposition to Duthu’s appointment undermined the College’s stated goal to employ a diverse faculty. Solomon also added that she does not believe that Duthu’s stance on Boycott, Divest, Sanctions amounts to anti-Semitism. Classics professor Lindsey Whaley, who voted in favor of the motion, said in an interview that Duthu’s appointment had “tremendous faculty support” and that the controversy surrounding the appointment upset most faculty members. He added that despite his belief that Duthu is well qualified
for this position, he respects Duthu’s decision to refuse his appointment. In an interview after the meaning, Parati said that “it would be naive to think that race had nothing to do with the opposition [to Duthu’s appointment].” Parati, who was a member of the search committee for the dean of the faculty position, said she believes that Duthu is an ideal choice. She added that she was glad that faculty had the opportunity to vote on the resolution because it gave them the chance to “send a strong message” of support for Duthu’s appointment. She said she believes that faculty members, and not “external forces,” have the right to decide who would represent them as their dean. Citing examples of Duthu’s efforts to help Jewish students and Israeli scholars, Greenberg noted that Duthu is not only a friend of a Jewish studies and Israeli causes but also an advocate for Jewish students on campus. Hanlon and Provost Carolyn Dever announced Duthu’s appointment on March 27. On May 3, economics professor Alan Gustman sent a facultywide email raising concerns about Duthu’s co-authorship of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association’s 2013 “Declaration of Support for the Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions.” Gustman argued that Duthu’s involvement implied support for the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions movement, which Gustman called anti-Semitic. Duthu responded to “recent charges” in a May 9 faculty-wide meeting, noting that he “condemn[s] anti-Semitism” and supports the “right of private citizens to express criticism of any country’s government policies.” Gustman responded to this email on May 9, saying that Duthu did not clearly repudiate the BDS movement.
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
PAGE 6
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Lecture: “Fast Magnetosonic Waves Driven by Ring-like Proton Velocity Distributions,” with Auburn University physics professor Kaijun Liu, MacLean ESC B01 (Zaleski Auditorium), Thayer School of Engineering
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Discussion: “Democracy in Iran: Why it Failed and How it Might Succeed,” with sociology professor Misagh Parsa and history professor emeritus Gene Garthwaite, Haldeman 41 (Kreindler Conference Hall)
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Discussion: “Things You Should Know that Aren’t Taught in College,” with engineering sciences professor Chris Polashenski, Brace Commons
TOMORROW
4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
26th Annual Karen E. Wetterhahn Science Symposium with Yale University engineering sciences professor T. Kyle Vanderlick, Oopik Auditorium, Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center
7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
World Music Percussion Ensemble with guest artists La Voz de Tres, Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Place for wet cannonballs 5 Volcanic rocks 10 Move like a river 14 Vineyard unit 15 Plant used in tequila production 16 Spencer of “Good Morning America” 17 Really wiped out 18 Private’s denial 19 Like many resold items 20 *Teaching aid for learning foreign tongues 23 Tot’s piggy 24 Like an accurate hockey shot 25 Arbor Day month 27 Brute 30 Tackled, as a task, with “at” 33 With competence 36 Orderly 38 “__ I lie to you?” 39 Spy org. created under Truman 40 Appetizer often served with duck sauce 42 Prefix with centric or caching 43 Dermatologist’s surgical tool 45 “__ girl!” 46 “Believe” singer 47 Theater guides 49 Sun-related 51 Plunders 53 Died down 57 Place to de-stress 59 *Deep blue gemstone 62 Angelic glow 64 Dreadlocks wearer 65 “__ la Douce” 66 Essential point 67 Promotional connection 68 Black, to a poet 69 Ship’s backbone 70 Mortimer on Bergen’s knee 71 See 63-Down DOWN 1 Picasso who painted Gertrude Stein 2 Arctic or Indian 3 Sumatran ape 4 Allow to pass 5 *Superboy’s girlfriend
6 Intensely excited 7 Ming museum piece 8 Hometown of St. Teresa 9 High-ranking angel 10 Winter ailment 11 *Satisfaction after setbacks 12 Layered cookie 13 Get one’s tootsies wet 21 Dubai’s fed. 22 Saloon slugfest 26 Altar words 28 Sonic the Hedgehog game company 29 Small fruit pies 31 Pure joy 32 What the nose knows 33 Civil rights gp. 34 Skewed view 35 *Cowboy star with a bullwhip 37 Terrier on the Yellow Brick Road 40 Filmdom’s Flynn 41 2016 Best Picture (no, wait; it wasn’t!) ... and a fitting place for the answers to starred clues?
44 Fair-hiring letters 46 Comparatively outlandish 48 Inaugurates 50 Case workers’ org.? 52 Iberian Peninsula country 54 Supercharger 55 “St. __ Fire” 56 “Cheers” waitress 57 Potato holder
58 Like 24-karat gold 60 “__ skies of blue and clouds of white ... “: “What a Wonderful World” 61 Recipe instruction 63 With 71-Across, rocker whose first name anagrams a West Coast airport code
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
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05/23/17
For advertising information, please call (603) 646-2600 or email info@thedartmouth. com. The advertising deadline is noon, two days before publication. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Opinions expressed in advertisements do not necessarily reflect those of The Dartmouth, Inc. or its officers, employees and agents. The Dartmouth, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Hampshire. USPS 148-540 ISSN 0199-9931
By Ed Sessa ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
05/23/17
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
PAGE 7
Senior recitals mark culmination of year long musical effort By GRAY CHRISTIE The Dartmouth
Every year, graduating seniors studying with a professor in the music department have the option to perform a senior recital. These students are not necessarily music majors or minors, but they have all undertaken advanced study on their instrument or voice. Er ma Mellinger, a 21-year veteran vocal coach and senior lecturer, has two g raduating students this year, Alanna Kane ’17 and Alyssa Gonzalez ’17, who have been studying with her the length of their undergraduate careers. Mellinger describes her role in the senior recital process as helping to provide resources that the students can use to explore their musical identities. Kane and Gonzalez chose to sing music that not only pushed their current skill sets but delved them into different aspects of their academic interests. Both graduating with minors in international studies, Kane and Gonzalez enjoyed incorporating a multicultural experience into their senior recital process, Mellinger said. “We work on technical issues
with their voices, and we try to give them a variety of repertoire, each of them gravitates to what really speaks to them,” Mellinger said. Mellinger was happy to see her two graduating students explore new aspects of their musical knowledge as well. Kane, a classically trained singer, added a few jazz songs to her recital’s program. Collaborating with Emma Howeiler ’18 on piano, Kane branched out into jazz singing and worked with lullabies, which involved a completely different method of performance. “That was really fun for me because I’ve never really done that,” Kane said. “I’ve been trained as a classical singer my whole life, and it was really fun to let go and just sing. So I think that actually was my favorite part of the program, although I do love singing classically and singing in choirs. I would definitely be interested in exploring different styles of music, especially jazz.” Mellinger noted that the challenge was successfully carried out. “[Kane] took her good technique and her strong singing and [allowed] her soul to do the rest of it and did such a beautiful
job,” Mellinger said. Kane started taking voice lessons at 7 years old and participated in a variety of singing groups during childhood. “One of the biggest influences on my singing career was being in the Metropolitan Youth Chorale,” Kane said. “We performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. When I got to Dartmouth, I joined the [Dartmouth College Glee Club].” Last spring, Kane decided to do a senior voice recital, which entailed an advanced course of study. Mellinger helped her decide on a theme for the recital that was based in work Kane was already doing with British composer Benjamin Britten’s songs. “[Mellinger] suggested the idea that it would be interesting if I did a lullaby-themed recital,” Kane said. “Generally, the recital program reflected different interpretations of a lullaby.” Apart from that suggestion, the programming was left up to Kane. She sang a number of Spanish and Italian pieces for which she had to translate and sing in foreign languages. She also included a set of lullabies by Britten and a selection of jazz standards that
fit within the lullaby theme, Kane said. “It was a pretty curated, themed program, but it had a lot of different interpretations,” Kane said. “No single piece sounds like the other.” Kane performed her program on April 29. “Overall it was just really fun for me to take that on,” Kane said. “I had been preparing these songs for about [one year], and this was the culmination of that.” Emmanuel Hui ’17, a violinist in the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble, also performed a senior recital. Like Kane, Hui characterized his deep connection with music as stretches back to his childhood. “My parents met when they were in choir in high school,” Hui said. “At 2 years old, I started piano. At three, I started violin — I was a music prodigy type.” As a teenager, Hui grew weary of the immense work required of a classical violinist. “I was playing classical violin for the longest time, and it doesn’t matter how talented you are, because someone else is gonna practice 10 times harder than you,” Hui said. “So it was very competitive, and it got very tiring
very quickly.” Hui decided to switch styles from classical to jazz violin. When he got to Dartmouth, he searched for outlets to bolster his skills in jazz playing. “I auditioned for all the groups on campus and tried to convince [Don Glasgo] to let me play jazz in [Barbary Coast],” Hui said. “He let me play one song freshman year. [When I started playing with music professor Fred Haas], I really got used to playing in a group setting. It took [Haas] a while to mold me into the right mindset.” At his senior recital in Falkner Hall, Hui played violin and drums to a number of jazz standards, aided by Haas and rhythm section players from Barbary Coast. “This concert is a culmination of what I’ve been doing for four years,” Hui said. Senior recitals allow students to explore different aspects of their musical abilities and showcase their work to the world. Mellinger praised the students giving recitals for their extra commitment to expressing themselves. “I just want to commend all the students that put in the extra time for the recitals,” Mellinger said. “It is a lot of work.”
A retrospective review before ‘Twin Peaks’ 2017 revival debuts
By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth Staff
Diane, 11:30 a.m., May 21. In a few hours “Twin Peaks” will debut a third season after a 25-year absence, now as “Twin Peaks: The Return.” It would be an understatement to say that I am tense with anticipation. At moments like this, one is drawn to reflect: What was it about “Twin Peaks” that made it so special? Why is it that, of all of David Lynch’s bizarre projects, this was the one that managed to capture the imagination of the general public? Although Lynch has always had a dedicated fan base, “Twin Peaks” is really the only work of his that has had broad appeal outside of that fan base. Which is odd, because it’s far from the most conventional or palatable work of his that I’ve seen. Yet somehow millions of viewers were captivated by this surreal show for two all-too-brief seasons. For the uninitiated, “Twin Peaks” is set in the titular town, a sleepy little alcove in Washington, and follows the investigation into the murder of duplicitous homecoming queen, Laura Palmer. Although this mystery hangs over each episode like a thundercloud, it doesn’t take the audience long to realize that Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost are less
interested in solving puzzles than they are in exploring the unconventional lives of Twin Peaks’ residents. Since the show was taken off the air, fans and critics have endlessly theorized why it was initially so appealing and why it slowly fell apart in Season 2 before its cancellation. Many, for example, have praised the cinema-level cinematography, the endless riddles and Angelo Badalamenti’s haunting score. While all of these elements are exceptional, I think the biggest allure was the uncompromising nature of Lynch and Frost’s vision. In 1990, no one had ever seen anything quite like “Twin Peaks,” and to this day it’s still one of a kind. For one thing, it combines just about every genre and tone on the face of the planet. It’s a murdermystery, romance, melodrama, dark comedy, science fiction, fantasy and horror show all rolled into one. Likewise, a single episode can bounce between scenes of slapstick humor, heartbreaking tragedy and genuine eeriness. In its best moments, “Twin Peaks” is trademark Lynch with subplots involving visions, demonic spirits, aliens, extradimensional spaces and a touch of magic. Of course, none of this would work if it weren’t for the phenomenal cast of characters who manage
to anchor some of Lynch’s more absurd decisions. Indeed, what I’m most looking forward to in a few hours is revisiting everyone — it’ll be like seeing old friends. Sheriff Truman, Audrey Horne, Pete Martell, Albert Rosenfield, Denise Bryson — so many names, so many characters who have left an indelible impression on me. The show is an ensemble piece, which is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. At any given moment there are approximately 20 major characters, so unsurprisingly some storylines are more engaging than others depending upon who you gravitate toward. On the other hand, with so many characters it’s almost inevitable that you’ll find at least a few to latch onto and love. Speaking of things to love, let’s talk about the protagonist and one of my favorite characters of all time: FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper. Without Cooper, “Twin Peaks” wouldn’t work. He’s a brilliant detective with a childlike fascination of the world. He loves a slice of cherry pie and a “damn fine cup of coffee” and whittles just because he can. He genuinely worries about the Dalai Lama and Tibet and relies heavily on dreams and intuition rather than logic and reason. And, of course, he always carries around his trusty
tape recorder so he can create daily messages for the mysterious Diane. Cooper is one of those rare instances where the writing and the performance are inseparable — the dialogue wouldn’t work without Kyle MacLachlan’s brilliant, affectionate and quirky performance, and MacLachlan’s acting wouldn’t work without the dialogue to affirm his choices. Part of what makes the character brilliant vis-a-vis the rest of the show is that, at first, he appears to be the strange one, and everyone else seems normal. But soon you realize that the residents of Twin Peaks all have dirty secrets and that Cooper, for all his eccentricity, is the only innocent character. Incidentally, as a Washingtonian I can confirm that we are all as crazy as this show makes us out to be. I noted above that “Twin Peaks” began to collapse during its second season, concluding with one of the most aggravating finales in TV history. The story was continued in the film “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” but many fans, myself included, remember it none too fondly. The biggest problem with the second season came halfway through when Laura’s killer was revealed, something that Lynch and Frost had never planned to do. After “Episode 16 — Arbitrary
Law,” the show quickly lost momentum and was forced to focus more heavily on the tedious subplots of supporting characters for the sake of filling the runtime. Admittedly, things picked up again in “Episode 20 — Checkmate” with the introduction of Cooper’s polar-opposite arch-nemesis and former partner, Windom Earle. Sadly, that plotline, which carried the rest of the show, felt like a huge missed opportunity largely because Earle’s characterization was so disappointingly cartoonish. Despite its later decline, for a season and a half “Twin Peaks” was something to behold. Like its hero, the show never really made sense, but we implicitly trusted it nevertheless. In a moment of sage wisdom, Cooper commented, “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present.” I can only hope that “Twin Peaks: The Return” will be my present for today. Of course, by the time this article is published I will already know if the third season has succeeded in recapturing the charm of the first. At the moment, however, I’m in the dark. So, Diane, I’ll have to get back to you on that. Rating: Season 1 : 10/10, Season 2: 6/10
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
PAGE 8
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
Student Spotlight: dancer and choreographer Angie Lee ’17
By SOPHIA SIU
The Dartmouth Staff
While the performance aspect is often regaled as the climax and culmination of a dancer’s hard work, choreographer and dancer Angie Lee ’17 has a different perspective. Lee emphasizes that dance can be used to examine and explore oneself and that work takes place largely off-stage. Lee’s journey as a dancer began years before her Dartmouth career. When she was in fifth grade, she saw a video on Youtube of a dancer popping. The street dance style, characterized by the relaxing and tensing of muscles, immediately intrigued her. In middle and high school, Lee continued to learn to dance by watching Youtube videos and never attended any studio dance classes. Lee explained that because she was not studio-trained, her style is primarily freestyle. “In studios, usually people will teach some choreography, and you have to pick up moves, whereas freestyle is more a stream of consciousness but applied to dance,” Lee said. “You do what you’re thinking in the moment, and you dance in the moment to whatever you hear.” Now, Lee is less focused on popping and very much influenced by urban dance, a style that evolved on the West Coast and California in particular. During her freshman fall, Lee knew she wanted to join a dance group but did not see herself fitting into any of the audition-based groups. “What I envisioned was to find a more urban dance style group on campus, but there really wasn’t much of that,” Lee said. Ultimately, Lee decided to join Street Soul, an open dance group that at the time consisted of mostly male upperclassmen who popped, Lee said. “I think [Lee] changed the whole dance game her freshman year,” said Kathy Li ’17, a member of student dance group Sugarplum. “She didn’t even audition for the mainstream dance groups because she was so comfortable in her own style, and she was really good at freestyle.” Since her freshman year, Lee has been involved with Street Soul and has held the position of director
COURTESY OF ANGIE LEE
Angie Lee ’17 performed solo at this year’s TRANSFORM event for Pride week.
since her sophomore summer. As director, Lee is responsible for many of the logistical and administrative tasks necessary for organizing and managing a dance group, including planning dance shows, structuring practices, teaching and making music mixes and costumes for the performances. This past weekend, Lee and members of Street Soul performed at the Alpha Phi Alpha Green Key Step Show. Its set included a medley of hip-hop and pop songs, such as Bastille’s “Pompeii.” Having choreographed and taught a number of dances, Lee explained that her style is set apart because of her popping background and preference to choreograph to “slower, more cathartic” songs. “She likes sharp movements,” said Dan Kang ’15, a member of Street Soul. “Also, she loves freestyle as much as she likes choreography. She always tries to try out interest stuff when she sees interesting things online.” Street Soul gives each member the opportunity to teach a dance to the rest of the group, and Lee shares her style and her passion for dance with other members of Street Soul when she takes on the role of choreographer and teacher. “Creating choreography for me is kind of an outlet,” Lee said. “It’s
the ultimate self-expression. It’s like communicating with your body and telling a story through movement, so it’s very artistic.” Huwon Kim ’19, a member of the student dance group Sheba, commented on the personal
relationship Lee has with dance, which she said stands in contrast to a lot of the dance seen on campus. “At Dartmouth, a lot of dance is solely about the performance, so it’s really about the presentation of self to the rest of the community, whereas I think [Lee] really does this for herself,” Kim said. “So it’s a very personal experience for her, and it’s really for her own development and her own expression.” Because Street Soul has an open membership policy, many of the members are new to dance. Lee reflected on some of the intricacies with teaching movement and expression of movement to beginners, as well as teaching them to be more comfortable with their bodies. “You really have to be critical that these are beginners, and so you have to teach at a really slow pace, make sure that everyone is very comfortable with what you’re teaching, and that they understand what it is that you’re doing,” Lee said. The lack of an audition process for Street Soul in terms of joining the group and participating in choreographed dances is also representative of Lee’s values and beliefs regarding the inclusivity of dance.
“I think that really reflects how it’s less of a competition,” Kim said. “It’s really up to the individual dancers themselves to devote their time to whatever dance they feel inclined to perform. I think in that sense it really reflects [Lee’s] desire to keep dance open for everyone.” In addition to her involvement with Street Soul, Lee has also made it a priority to try to foster a sense of community between the dance groups on campus. “How she interacts with people and how she values dance really pushes her to root for a dance community that supports each other,” Kim noted. “In her mind, I think the ideal situation is that all the other groups show support for each other and are not just self involved within their own group.” Li added that Lee’s decision not to join an audition-based dance group was a statement in itself because it defied the expectation of what a “good dancer” was supposed to do at Dartmouth. However, Lee would like to join an audition-based team after graduation as a way to keep dancing. “She has paved this path for dancers to create a space for themselves, to have their own choreography or to create a group around their style,” Li said.
COURTESY OF PREETI RISHI
Street Soul performed at the Alpha Phi Alpha Green Key Step Show on Saturday afternoon on the Gold Coast Lawn.