Choreographing Community

For dancers at the Harvard Ballet Company, their work isn’t just about the artistry or showmanship: it’s about community. The organization’s creative energy and talents extend beyond the Harvard campus, fostering camaraderie with the dancers and expanding access to the allure of the ballet world. 

Founded in 1993, HBC is a student-led organization featuring classical ballet, contemporary choreography, and modern dance. The company is composed of over 40 dancers, led by co-directors Emma Nagler ’26 and Olivia Callander ’26. They perform biannual productions in the spring and fall, featuring choreography from students, alumni, and guests. Harvard Ballet Company also offers weekly classes to all members. Auditions are held each semester, welcoming students from a diverse range of technical dance backgrounds. 

In April, the company presented “Ephemera,” which integrated themes of nostalgia, beauty, and transience of the human experience into its performance. This show, along with the rest of their repertoire, exemplifies HBC’s unique approach to classical ballet; traditionally, ballet companies perform shows like the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, and Don Quixote, which were created in the 19th century Romantic era. 

In Harvard Ballet, however, dancers are allowed to showcase their creativity onstage through original choreography. “It’s a great way to build both your technical skills, but also explore a creative aspect of ballet that you might not have ever had the opportunity to choreograph a piece and put it up on the stage with some of your best friends dancing,” Callander said.

With semesterly performances, the company’s dancers find they grow closest with one another on stage, as Nagler and Callander reflected in an interview with the Harvard Independent. “Through learning the choreography, carrying out technique and dress rehearsal, and then culminating in a show, you grow very close with the people that you’re dancing with,” Callander said. The backstage experience is unlike any other. She recounted the excitement of getting ready with friends before a show and awaiting the first raise of the curtain. “All the experiences we have during show week are memories I’ll have forever.”

Most performers in the company have years of experience, and HBC offers them the unique opportunity to continue sharing their love for ballet with each other. “I missed it after I stopped performing, and having it back and being able to perform with all my friends every year, twice a year, is a special blessing,” Callander said, reflecting on her choice to resume dancing in college.

Outside the studio, performers find supplementary ways to build strong relationships with one another. Through the Demi Grand program, HBC offers mentorship for new dancers. “Anybody that joins the company has some sort of mentor to look up to… All new members in the company get matched up with an older member,” Nagler explained. Additionally, the board’s social chairs, Independent Associate Marketing Director Clara Thiele ’28 and Jacqueline Lane ’28, organize bonding activities and events for company dancers to further strengthen company community. 

Moreover, HBC has contributed widely to Harvard’s campus as a whole, especially through partnering with other student organizations, including smaller dance groups. “This semester, we’re partnering with Candela, which is Harvard’s Latin dance group,” Nagler explained. “They’re going to be performing their pieces in our show. Because of the size of our company and how long we’ve been in existence, it’s really helpful that we get to foster these collaborations and make sure that all different dance styles are getting performed and shown to audiences at Harvard,” Nagler said.

These partnerships aren’t just limited to artistic groups, either. In their mission to bring ballet to the greater Boston community, HBC has worked with the Phillips Brooks House Association, Harvard’s student-led philanthropic organization. “We provide free [show] tickets to various public schools, children, and other programs through PBHA,” said Nagler. 

Ballet performances tend to be expensive, with ticket prices to the Boston Ballet ranging up to over $200. In an effort to make the art form more accessible, HBC tickets range from $10 to $15. “That helps bring ballet to a wide range of audiences that wouldn’t typically get to see it,” Nagler reflected. 

Another aspect that sets HBC apart from other campus dance groups is its membership. Dancers hail from numerous Boston schools, including Northeastern, Boston University, and even Harvard graduate students. 

“It helps us expand our company to ensure that we have a very high level of dance performers to create a professional-esque experience. I think that our company rivals that of many professional companies and is abnormally talented compared to other collegiate ballet companies,” Nagler said. “I think that that’s really helped us in that sense, and also it helps us expand audiences by expanding to other schools outside of Harvard.”

This cross-school collaboration is a significant part of the HBC experience. Each February, dancers get the chance to travel to New York City for the Ivy Ballet Exchange, hosted by Columbia Ballet Collaborative. Ballet students from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia meet for a weekend of intensives and clinics. 

“We spend a whole day taking ballet class together. We have master classes from famous professional dancers in the New York City area,” Nagler said. “We learn some choreography, and then at the end of the day, each of the schools performs some of their pieces from their shows, so attending those has been a really fun way to correspond with other HBC members, but also to meet other collegiate ballet dancers.” 

As directors, Callander and Nagler have a bright vision for the future of the Ballet Company. This semester, they plan to showcase world-renowned repertoire, including “An American in Paris” by Christopher Wheeldon, a two-time Tony Award-winning choreographer. “Having his work shown at Harvard has been very exciting—a huge occurrence for the company that I think will open future doors down the road,” Nagler said. 

Other guests this year will include Pemberly Ann Olson of the San Francisco Ballet Company and Abigail Simon of Joffrey Ballet Company and American Ballet Theatre.

The company’s next production, “Nocturne,” will feature original pieces from both student and guest choreographers. Performances will run from Nov. 6-8 at the Loeb Drama Center. 

Seyi Amosun’s ’29 (samosun@college.harvard.edu) only dance move is dodging campus tour groups around the Yard.