Liberty and DANCE for All
Nicole Klett Gives Us a Glimpse into DC Dance Company Capitol Movement
As I stood on relevé, beads of sweat dripping down my spine, I thought back to the beginning of class: “Today isn’t going to be that hard. I really want you guys to just dance and feel it.” Not even halfway through warm-up, I was already pink in the face. “Not that hard,” sure. I followed the younger dancers in front of me, who knew the choreographed warm-up by heart, and out of my peripheral vision, I saw Nicole Klett—known to her students as “Miss Nicole”—walking around, correcting students’ body positioning. She would lightly press down on tense shoulders, or tap one hip to signal pulling up through it, or push an extended leg to lift it higher. As she called out signal words to guide the class, her voice was calm but demanded respect. A balance, I later learned, she has been working on for years.
Along with being the Artistic Director of Capitol Movement, Inc. (CMI), a Washington, DC-based dance organization founded by Stephanie Jojokian and Amber Yancey, Klett is a recent co-founder of The Movement Studios (TMS), a dance studio located in Springfield, Virginia. After a long night of teaching, she met up with me in her brightly-lit, organized office; I sat at the round table beside her desk, only slightly cluttered by some stray papers to be filled out by faculty members. Hair pulled back into a low ponytail and wearing rectangular, black-rimmed glasses, Klett sat down at the same table. She was still wearing black leggings and a white, v-neck t-shirt from teaching, and was barefoot. I first joked about how unexpectedly difficult the class was for me, to which Klett chuckled a little bit, then denied it, “Oh, please, you were beautiful. I love having you in class.”
I had taken class from Klett a few times before. Capitol Movement holds weekly Friday classes in Washington, DC that are open to all and taught by a rotating faculty. CMI is not a competitive dance studio with a building of its own, so Friday classes take place at Sport & Health in Capitol Hill, often in a multipurpose room of sorts. A row of red and blue exercise balls sits atop the mirror, and is noticeable in many of the videos on CMI’s instagram (@capitolmovement). Exercise equipment pushed to the edges of the room subtly differentiates this space from a dance studio, yet the room transforms as class begins. Dancers forget about the exercise equipment and the red and blue exercise balls, and the room gets humid as instructors teach a combination—generally about a minute of choreography—at a fairly quick pace. (Though classes are open to all, they still need to challenge CMI dancers, who are the primary students in these classes.) The first hour is hip-hop, and the second hour is contemporary, lyrical, or jazz. Dancers will often stay for both, but many also come and go depending on the week. Klett taught a musical theater combination the week I took her class at CMI, after—of course—her signature warm-up.
Klett has been teaching dance for years. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 2005, she would teach dance after she got off work during the week and on weekends. However, “as the years went by,” she says, “I realized more and more that dance really is where I belong. And I felt like it was an important part of who I am and a place where I can make an impact on other people’s lives.” Klett began her involvement with Capitol Movement as a dancer in their adult company, and was soon teaching and choreographing for their pre-professional group, composed of dancers ages 11-17. In the meantime, she still had her 9-5 job, so teaching dance afterwards meant Klett wouldn’t return home until past 9pm. She conveys no sense of resentment towards these long hours: “Yes, it was exhausting. But I think it’s one of the things that everyone has to go through when they know there’s something they want to do that’s not easy to come by.” She shrugs, “You do what you gotta do because you’re passionate about it.”
In this time, Klett created and legitimized CMI’s pre-professional company, which is now in its seventh season. “Pre-pro” dancers aim to build dance into their profession and have the opportunity to work with professional dancers and choreographers, whom Klett brings in. Although this program was initially the sole training ground for pre-pro dancers, Klett says, “Our dancers now are so hungry for accelerated training that they want to have this program on top of what they do at a studio.” This means dancers from different studios who would normally compete against one another come together in preparation for their annual “Movement of the People” show. This is one of the best things about CMI according to pre-pro dancer Summer McKinney: “We have rehearsals almost every Saturday and/or Sunday until the show, so you get super close with all the other dancers and teachers. It's a great dance program to connect a dance community. I love it, and it was one of the best decisions of my life.” No Dance Moms drama here.
McKinney is one of three students who have received scholarships to participate in CMI’s pre-pro company. In line with their mission of making dance accessible for all despite socioeconomic barriers, CMI offers tuition scholarships for its dancers as well as scholarships of up to $3,000 to cover the tuition expenses of elite university and studio programs across the country, such as the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, University of the Arts, and the Boston Ballet. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need, personal essay, class attendance, determination, and dance ability, and scholarship awardees must submit a quarterly written report affirming they are meeting certain standards (e.g. GPA of 3.0 or higher). Alum Starr Dee attended the Rock School for Dance Education’s summer intensive for five years in a row on CMI scholarship and is currently pursuing a dance career in NYC. She has been with Capitol Movement since the second annual show and now comes back to teach and choreograph: “I am honored that I had the opportunity to dance with such amazing people at such a young age. I feel that I have grown immensely; not just in dance, but in maturity as well."
The most recent “Movement of the People” show, Love Conquers, coincidentally took place on November 19, shortly after the election. This was the first pre-pro show to center around a theme; Klett discussed the idea with choreographers this summer, who unanimously agreed it was perfect. She says, “Choreographers were excited to get the opportunity to make art that comments on where we are in society and what we need to keep working on.” However, the timing of the show put more weight on its subject matter. Krista Jennings, CMI choreographer and co-founder of The Movement Studios with Klett, recalls a note made to pre-pro dancers before the show: “Every story and every point in the show is more important now than it has ever been before.” Jennings reflects upon the show as generally positive and upbeat; most pieces celebrated individuality and the progress that has been made. In the face of cynicism and negativity, Love Conquers conveyed a message of hope and unity. One piece, “Glory” by Shon Snider, incorporated both the adult and pre-professional companies, uniting all CMI dancers to comment on the Civil Rights Movement: how far we have come and how far we still need to go.
Jennings choreographed “Love Is Love” about marriage equality. The piece features two girls in love, who fight to be with one another despite the negativity surrounding them. In the beginning, the two girls wear white while the rest wear black; the other dancers try to keep the two girls away from each other and block their attempts to be together. However, midway through, there’s a shift and all change into white or pastel costumes; the other dancers help the two get together instead of blocking them. The piece then ends with the dancers embracing and leaning on one another lovingly. Jennings intended to focus on evolution and progress; the love between the two girls persists, but what changes is the attitude of the people surrounding them. Because this was a concert piece and not meant for competition, Jennings felt she had greater artistic freedom: “I did something a little controversial. I know I couldn’t do that for customers at our studio.” Throughout rehearsals, Jennings emphasized that sometimes dance is about telling other people’s stories that may not match yours, and her dancers stepped up to the occasion.
This summer, I started talking to someone before one Friday class, who had recently moved to Washington, DC to become a professional dancer. I asked if she intended for DC to be a stepping-stone to New York City or Los Angeles, the known capitals of the dance industry. She said no. At first, this was surprising, but Klett confirmed that in the past few years, the Washington, DC dance scene has expanded and grown—a fact a lot of CMI dancers talk about. According to Klett, “We are seeing a lot of local theaters and commissioning projects who are really trying to keep the arts and dance alive.” In fact, the Kennedy Center, a beacon for the arts in the DC area, is making an effort to incorporate more diverse styles of music and dance into its programming. They recently created a hip-hop division, which is a big step since hip-hop is one of the most accessible and familiar dance styles—especially to kids—and one that is thriving in DC.
CMI’s adult company, the Capitol Movement Dance Company, is actively contributing to the growth of the DC dance scene. Most classes and workshops are open to all DC dancers and taught by talented instructors in a professional environment, and company members are able to rehearse and perform while having the room to pursue other dance opportunities or a different career altogether at the same time. (The dancer I talked to this summer is now a member of CMI’s adult company.) One of the biggest opportunities offered to adult company members is the international Freedom Tour. Since Fall 2012, the Capitol Movement Dance Company has worked with Armed Forces Entertainment and toured internationally, performing for US military bases abroad. Last year, dancers performed in Djibouti and Bahrain, and past performances have taken place in Egypt, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Turkey.
Many adult company members also teach and choreograph for pre-pro dancers and CMI Kidz, composed of dancers ages 5-13. Over half of the 46 adult company members are also dance teachers, so there is a built-in reservoir of diverse teachers for younger company members. The broad range of these teachers is clear by even a brief glance at CMI’s instagram: tap, jazz, commercial jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop, musical theater, contemporary jazz, hip-hop, heels. As icing on the cake, Klett brings in professional dancers and choreographers from New York and Los Angeles, so dancers have the opportunity to network and experience a professional rehearsal environment. These connections come about “randomly,” according to Klett; sometimes her students will even make the first move, reaching out to a teacher they like after a dance convention or class. Oftentimes, these professionals will teach a workshop open to all DC dancers, then set a piece of choreography on select pre-pro or adult dancers that will be showcased in their respective shows. Capitol Movement is not messing around when it comes down to training their dancers. Versatility is crucial to survive in the dance industry, and when you’re constantly taking classes from different teachers in different styles, you’re certainly more prepared to succeed in an environment where you’re adapting and auditioning all the time.
Klett describes herself as a perfectionist at first; she was “extremely strict and way too tough” as a teacher. Now, however, she prioritizes creating a nurturing and safe environment for everyone she teaches, which is the perfect way to describe the atmosphere of her class. “You have to create an environment where people aren’t afraid to do something that might not work out,” she says, “because sometimes when they do that, it’s what produces the most beautiful results.” Her choreography mirrors this balance between tough and relaxed. It’s not in the style of typical trick-after-trick competition routines, and it’s not quite of the experimental walking-in-a-circle-for-five-minutes type either. She describes this best as an interest in the “technique behind the movement”; she would rather have her dancers maintain their balance on one leg than whack an extension they can’t control for more than a second.
There’s no typical day for Klett: “Some days I feel like I’m on the phone all day. Other days I’m in front of the computer. Other days I’m at the studio teaching.” This variety keeps her engaged and mindful of what she’s doing—“I will get rusty if it’s a lot of repetition,” she says—and working with so many different people keeps her inspired to be a better leader, teacher, and mentor. After taking a few seconds to think, Klett answers that the person who inspires her most is not one person, but the dancers she teaches. “There are days I pinch myself,” she says, “and think, How did I get to work with these people?” After a great rehearsal or show—her pre-pro dancers recently performed at the VelocityDC Dance Festival to a standing ovation—she leaves feeling “ready to push myself to do more and to be better for others.” Alumni who have gone on to pursue careers in dance reinforce Klett’s dedication to her work. She recently brought in pre-pro alum Will Bell, whose choreography to “All I Ask” by Adele currently has 1.6 million views on Vimeo, to come teach at CMI’s Winter Workshop.
As a teacher, however, Klett still looks up to one of her past dance teachers, Adam Parson. He started teaching Klett when she was in 5th or 6th grade, and he struck a perfect balance between making dance fun, but also recognizing the discipline and hard work that goes into it. Most remarkably though, “He is very much invested in the person in front of him.” Instead of devoting all his attention to the most talented dancer in the room, Klett recalls, “If you were there and your heart was open, he was in it for you.” Parson’s approach seems to mirror that of Capitol Movement—the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to dance and receive a quality dance education, not only a privileged few. In addition to their affordable pre-pro program, CMI offers traveling classrooms for various partners in DC—such as Horizons at the Maret School and DC Public Schools—where students “come as they are” and learn hip-hop from CMI adult company members. This is in line with CMI’s mission to make dance accessible for all, despite socioeconomic barriers, so they can build better lives through dance.
Perhaps one of the biggest struggles, however, is that CMI does not have a space of its own. “This has been a problem for my entire existence,” Klett says, “Being able to support your mission of trying to make dance accessible but then also being faced with having to pay rent and not wanting to charge that to your dancers.” To conduct a proper class or rehearsal, the space needs to be fairly large depending on the size of the group, have a mirror, and sometimes even have the right type of floor. (Plain tile flooring can be really unforgiving and lead to knee problems when landing jumps, for example, and tap sounds gets easily muffled on carpet.) The right kind of space, however, can be expensive and perhaps inconveniently located for some dancers. Until the grand opening of The Movement Studios, Capitol Movement did not have an affiliation with a studio, so the multipurpose room at Sport & Health was the main rehearsal space. Now, however, TMS can act as the backup space when another is too expensive or inconvenient. In fact, CMI’s Winter Workshop (taught in part by aforementioned alum Will Bell) took place at TMS.
This has been a remarkable dance year for Klett. Opening a studio is a daunting task, let alone opening a studio while still working as the artistic director of another dance company; however, Klett has taken advantage of the intersection of these two worlds. For example, this year’s pre-pro company photoshoot took place at TMS, taking on an industrial aesthetic since construction wasn’t finished yet. Perhaps what ultimately allows Klett to remain calm and composed is that her focus always returns to her students. The dialogue between choreographers and dancers is the very foundation of dance, and Klett carries this mentality into the work she does outside the classroom. At the end of the day, she wants her dancers to have as many opportunities as they can and to improve and grow as much as they can. There’s no doubt that Capitol Movement is doing something right. Everyone should have the opportunity to get a dance education, and CMI takes this idea one step further: everyone should have the opportunity to get a high quality dance education.
Photo 1 by Studio Diana; Photo 2 by Studio Diana; Photo 3 by Vithaya Photography; Photo 4 by Studio Diana