Bowdoin Dance Concert Explores Care, Community, and Social Change

Bowdoin College staged its annual December Dance Concert at Pickard Theater on December 11, 2025, drawing audiences across three performances to see new work by students, faculty, and guest artists. The evening showcased a range of styles and intentions, from repertory pieces to new choreography that engaged questions of care, community, and social change.

Highlights included Physical Exam, presented in the Modern II repertory and performance ensemble and choreographed by Gwyneth Jones. Advanced Modern Dance featured Peripheral, a piece choreographed and outfitted by guest artist Mariana Valencia. Advanced Afro Modern Dancing Toward Social Change offered the work titled ...we are but just elements, created by Assistant Professor Adanna Dr. J Jones. The program also included What precedes care, choreographed by Aretha Aoki, among other student created pieces. Photographs from the performances were taken by Alex Cornell du Houx 06 and documented the range of movement and design onstage.

For local residents, the concert provided more than an evening of culture. Performances that explicitly examine care and community invite conversation about how art contributes to emotional resilience and collective wellbeing. In a county where access to arts programming is linked to local colleges and community groups, Bowdoin programs serve as a point of connection for students, families, and older adults seeking shared experiences that can reduce isolation and support mental health.

The Advanced Afro Modern program underlined the concert's attention to equity and representation. By centering choreography that engages social change, the department opened space for dialogue about racial justice and the role of creative practice in public life. Work such as What precedes care points to an intersection between artistic inquiry and questions that matter to health systems and policymakers, including how communities conceptualize care and who is included in conversations about caregiving and access.

Beyond its aesthetic value, the concert reinforced Bowdoin's role as a community hub in Sagadahoc County. Multiple performances increased public access and offered opportunities for local schools and service organizations to bring residents to the theater. As communities and health providers explore nonclinical strategies to support mental health and social cohesion, events like this one underscore the potential of the arts to contribute to a healthier, more equitable community.