Jennifer House Hinshaw Dances
Mar 10, 2009
Jennifer House Hinshaw is a native of Southeastern Virginia and has been immersed in the dance culture since the age of four. In May of 2003, she received her BS in Dance Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she had the privilege of studying under amazing choreographers and educators such as B.J. Sullivan, Sue Stinson, Jan Van Dyke, Gerri Houlihan, and Jill Green. Since that time Jennifer has founded a dance program at Wake Forest-Rolesville High School in Wake Forest, NC and just this year at Avon High School in Avon, IN. She has been a part of the color guard world since 1995. Her passion for the activity has allowed her the opportunity to work with First Flight, The Study, West Johnston, Carolina Crown, Center Grove, Onyx, Mayflower, Zydeco, and Avon. She feels truly privileged to work alongside some of the greatest artists in pageantry.
WGI recently had the opportunity to catch up with her to find out her thoughts on movement in the color guard activity.
Tell us about your influences in the world of dance?
Aside from the choreographers and companies that every dancer must acknowledge as state of the art, there are two amazing women that stand out in my mind. The first would be a teacher that I had in college, Mrs. B.J. Sullivan. There are so many reasons to admire her: the fact that she created her own technique (Safety Release Technique), the way that she demanded that you give her no less than 200% when you were dancing for her, the fact that she had so many muscles and was so tiny you wondered where her organs could fit, but most of all her emotional pieces. The titles of her pieces always seemed to be extremely lengthy and a little unobtainable for some audience members, but it never seemed to matter because the choreography and the connection she created for her dancers was genius.
My second biggest inspiration would have to be a student that I had while teaching at Wake Forest-Rolesville High School in North Carolina. Her name is Angela Brickhouse. I have no hesitation in saying that I think that she is the most versatile dancer that I have ever known or seen, and my biggest inspiration. She is currently a dancer in the new Cirque du Soleil show Believe. As a teacher and choreographer, having her in my classroom always pushed me to become a better dancer. During the three years I had the opportunity to work with her, my dancing and choreography truly changed into the style that you see with the groups that I work with today. In my mind, Angela has to be the most gifted and musical choreographer of her generation. If you get a chance, please look her up. My traditional favorites include Jose Limo, Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp, The Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, The American Ballet Theatre, Mia Michaels, David Dorfman, Paul Taylor, Wade Robinson, Balanchine, etc. I could keep listing all day. It is hard to narrow the list down because there are so many amazing choreographers throughout the history of dance that deserve our admiration.
Should today’s choreographers be exploring new styles of dance and movement?
Yes!!!! Today’s choreographers should absolutely be exploring new styles of dance and movement. If we do not, how will the activity continue to evolve? Just like equipment choreographers continue to explore different objects to spin, different planes, etc…movement choreographers must do the same so that the activity doesn’t become stagnant. It is also important that as a choreographer you understand that every show is not the same. Yes, we all have our “trade mark moves”, but we have to be open to exploring new things to fit with the artistic design of the show. In terms of who will give the credit, I find it to be most rewarding when a respected teacher or choreographer who has been involved in the activity (or dance world) recognizes the growth or change in something that is being performed.
Who do you feel has significantly pushed movement in the activity, past or present, where dance is concerned?
Scott Chandler, Carol Abohatab, and Jim Moore are three people who have greatly helped to bring dance to the forefront of our activity. My personal favorite dance choreographer would have to be Michael James. His choreography is breathtaking!
Where do you see the potential for growth in the area of dance as it relates to our activity?
As discussed above, I think that we all need to constantly be searching and exploring new movement ideas in color guard. I would love to see more groups that were really focused on teaching the kids to love dancing….not just the dance movements that they perform in their show. If we open our students’ eyes to the exploration of their body in motion (through improvisation, African dancing, Salsa, Hip Hop, Graham technique, and the other endless genres of dance), the result will not only be better dancers but also better spinners. Those that truly understand their body and the way that it moves also understand how to use it to manipulate equipment properly and efficiently.
What are some of the needs that choreographers have that aren't being addressed or could use further attention?
I think that the greatest need for choreographers is time! It is essential that students that are a part of today’s activity are taking DANCE classes. This does not mean 20 minutes of running through your show warm-ups. This means an hour or more of technique, exploration, and learning choreography of all styles, NOT JUST WHAT IS IN YOUR SHOW!
On a personal note, working at Avon High School has been such a blessing for me. Daniel Wiles always makes it a priority to allow me to have time to really explore dancing with the kids. At Avon, we dance for at least 6 hours every week. During that time we explore floor exercises, modern technique, ballet technique, endless across the floors, improvisation, and variety of combinations. I am sure that you would find a similar set-up with those groups that are really making a name for themselves in movement, such as Santa Clara Vanguard, Fantasia, The Knights, and James Logan High School.
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