Save the last dance for Keisha Browne (COL ’08), a member of Black Movements Dance Theater. From the Bronx to the barre here at Georgetown, Keisha has taken her love of music and dance and made it an integral part of her time on the Hilltop. This week, The Guide gets into the groove with Browne as she discusses the group’s upcoming show and the importance of dance on campus.

What dance group are you involved with on campus?
Black Movements Dance Theater is primarily a modern dance group on campus. Basically, I’ve been involved since my freshman year. The company right now, I’m not too sure, I would have to check the actual number, but I would say is about 14 strong. We’re growing and changing every semester, that’s for sure. We lost a lot of really good dancers last year with graduation, so this semester has been different.

What is the name of the show?
Stir of Echoes: Answering the Call — that was the theme we selected for the entire year. Our fall performance was just called Stir of Echoes, so we want to grow on that.

What does that entail?
It’s kind of vague, but basically it’s taking into context where we are now and where we’ve been. It’s about understanding where we are and the ‘we’ is very general, about ‘we’ as a woman or ‘we’ as a dancer or ‘we’ as a company. And a lot of the pieces evoke all kinds of dimensions; there’s a broad spectrum of emotion, there’s a lot about love and there’s some about angst and struggle and overcoming all of that. And I guess that’s where the “Answering the Call” dimension comes in.

Who directs the show?
We have a variety of choreographers; some are student pieces, some are guest artists. Each choreographer comes and adds whatever they want to add to the table. It’s kind of a chaotic human condition and the different aspects of it because each choreographer brings something new. Each piece speaks to the individuality of each choreographer.

Have you choreographed any pieces?
We actually did [the piece I choreographed] in the fall, so it’s being repeated in the repertoire. It’s called ‘Déjà Vu.” It’s about love and unrequited love. It’s a story that everyone can relate to, but at the same time the music and the feeling and the beat is very sensual and earthy. The music I used is Angolan Portuguese; I studied abroad in Cairo, so I was drawing on my own experiences.

How did you become involved in dance?
It’s kind of funny because I switched spheres when I came to Georgetown because I used to be a singer, and I was always considered a dancer but didn’t have the technical background. It’s really been a process. As a freshman I auditioned, and I got in and have just been involved since then. I went home over break, and my mom wanted to watch old DVDs of performances, and she was like, “I want to see how much you’ve grown [in dance]!” I sort of became a dancer when I came here in a broad sense. It’s been really fulfilling because it’s always been something that I knew I wanted to do.

How many performances does Black Movement Dance Theater do each year?
As well as the two shows, we do spot performances for different events like Unity Live and do one piece from our repertoire and perform it there. We’re probably doing one at Abissa for the African society — it’s their cultural showcase.

How large is the crowd at your shows?
The space in [Walsh] Black Box is a very intimate setting, but I’d say each night, over a hundred.

Do you think that dance is appreciated here on campus?
I think that it occupies an important space just by the support we have from the student body. Basically once you have one person come to a show, they end up coming back to all the shows after that. Not everyone [in the group] has the strongest technical background, but we try to tell a story so people come to be moved. Overall I think there is potential of having dance become a bigger presence on campus. We’ve only preformed in the Davis Center once, but we were able to sell out, so I think that the support is there. It may just be an issue of exposure.

Do you have any favorite dancer or dance show?
I don’t really have a person or a particular dance. I really enjoy Alvin Ailey — that’s sort of from when I was younger, and basically when I dance I think of what they bring to the stage.

Is each dancer in the group involved in all of the pieces of the show?
Basically, the choreographer comes in and works with us, and it’s like a mini audition, and sometimes the choreographer bounces off us because everyone has their own flavor, but the choreographer really sees who can bring their piece to life. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

How close are the members of the company?
It’s completely different every semester; [the alumni] all come back. To me, it’s been like a family, even just the last week I have heard back from at least four or five alums just “checking in.” We actually move into the space ourselves, and there is an alumna that lives in the area, and she came in to help out like actually lifting the lights. [The network is helpful,] especially when things get tough.

Are you going to pursue dance after graduation?
Not on the serious level, so this is really it for me. So it’s a bittersweet thing for me, and it’s a lot of work putting on a show, so sometimes I am like, “Why am I here at 11 o’clock at night?” but when I see people on stage, I want to be on stage. I draw a lot of inspiration from the other people around me. Just to think about how much I have grown as a dancer over the last four years because of the people around me is really incredible. And I am sure that I will come back and take classes or choreograph.