After Natalie Kojis graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts from the University of ֱ at Lafayette, she moved to Philadelphia to start her dance career.
As an intern for , Natalie learned what it takes to run a dance company. On her off hours, she took advantage of a range of professional dance opportunities at Koresh Dance Company and taught classes in ballet, jazz, and creative movement at studios in the area.
“I loved the benefits that came from the internship,” she said. “I got to go to all of the classes for free and there’s so many amazing dancers in Philadelphia. I got to make connections. This internship opened a lot of doors for me.”
Another perk was being able to take master classes with acclaimed choreographers, including and Koresh Dance Company Artistic Director Roni Koresh.
She now is back in ֱ working as a freelance dancer and teacher. She’s focused on creating her own professional work in floorwork and improvisation techniques, as well as choreography.
Falling in Love with Dance
Natalie decided to study dance in college after discovering her love of performing in high school.
“I loved the emotional benefits I got from dance, and I love being able to have a space to be authentic and be myself,” she said. “So, I wanted to go to school for dance so I can eventually have a place for kids and young adults to have that kind of freedom and they are able to be authentically themselves in that space.”
But when she started her dance classes in college, she struggled to show her authenticity and vulnerability.
“I had a lot of trouble whenever I first started with trying to people-please,” Natalie said. “I would be making work for people’s eyes and not people’s hearts, and I started to feel that in my own heart. You just have to learn to do what you love and be honest with who you are. Put something out there that is kind of a reflection of your own beliefs and a reflection of your own self.”
She grew into that mindset through her classes in the dance program. For the annual Evening of Dance concert, dance students choregraph, cast, and perform their own original pieces — a process that unfolds throughout four semesters.
“The best part about the assignments is we had to do something, no matter how absurd it seemed,” she said. “We’ll find words to make into movement, make gestures from the words, we’ll find sounds, all to make a phrase. Your piece ends up being all of these phrases that we’ve put together and manipulated.
“It’s super collaborative because we have to present these phrases in class, and we get feedback from our colleagues. Because the department was so intimate, we were able to give our honest opinions.”
That experience was valuable for Natalie on a personal and professional level.
“It’s kind of like therapy,” she said. “You made this seven-minute piece and it goes on stage and people see it, and that’s all that matters — is that people see it.
“It’s not even if they like it or not. It’s just that they’re seeing it and they’re getting something from it. Learning to be vulnerable is the most important thing from the process. “