Demystifying dance is a big goal

The Swiss-born Patrizia Herminjard is something of a translator. She speaks English, French, German, and perhaps the most cryptic of all, dance. "The language of dance has a lot to offer the community as a whole," said the director of the Extraordinary Dance Festival at Colorado College."But it's so abstract that if you don't know how to access it, it can turn you off."

Herminjard has made it a project to demystify the art for tentative Colorado Springsians and help the school and greater community learn to understand and love the medium as much as she does. Herminjard started a summer series of "Informances" - performances followed by a lecture and question-and-answer period - expanded the number of low-cost shows in the annual dance festival, initiated a dance film screening, and has made it a point to invite guests from genres not usually part of a classical education, like circus artists, and hip-hop and belly dancers. "At CC, it's our job to educate and inspire at the same time," she said.

VENUE: From her sunny office on the first floor of CC's Cossitt Hall, Herminjard has easy access to the school's two dance studios, where she choreographs for the summer Extraordinary Dance Festival and gives classes in dance technique. During the year, Herminjard teaches dance history. In addition to the summer festival, fans can enjoy her choreography and performance at the faculty concert the dance department hosts every spring.

BACKGROUND: Herminjard moved to Colorado in fourth grade and attended CC, where she majored in philosophy and met her mentor, dance professor Yunyu Wang. "We would always joke and say, ‘Maybe we'll be colleagues someday,'" she said.
After five years in New York City with the Martha Graham Ensemble in New York, and earning a masters degree at the University of California at Irvine, she returned to CC as a faculty member. "I love Colorado, I missed Colorado," she said. "I wanted seasons again and the slower pace of life."

TAKE ON THE SCENE: "Arts are alive and well here, and I'm sick of talking about, ‘Oh, this isn't Denver, this isn't New York,'" Herminjard said. "It's important to celebrate what we have and do what we can to promote it."
"I wouldn't live here if Colorado Springs didn't have something to offer."

CHALLENGES: "We all struggle for money," she said. "Arts in this country are not supported by the government. We have to solicit through grants or from companies. We even have to apply for money from CC." She said she hopes Cornerstone will consolidate these fundraising efforts a bit and attract the outside community to a central space for arts. "Dance studios kind of do their own thing," Herminjard said. "I'm doing a lot of work trying to get the community to come."

REWARDS:"It's not huge," she said. "I know people, you feel like you can know everyone. In New York that's not true. Making those connections is lovely."
Herminjard said there's a reason she left for New York.
"I couldn't do what I did here," she said. "But bringing the knowledge back is important."

DEFINE SUCESS: "The definition of success for me is bringing my own passion for dance to others - old, young, middle aged - because it's brought me so much joy," Herminjard said. "I'm constantly going to grow," she said, and her program along with her.
"I want more artists, more people who enjoy dancing, and more who enjoy watching dance, as well."