The Schwarzman Center at Yale University is pleased to present One, a new web series inspired by the Center’s values. In the inaugural episode, Laurie Gomez engages Gabrielle Niederhoffer in a Zoom conversation about vernacular dance—discussing how the artform has shaped Gabrielle’s academic journey and is keeping her engaged in a vibrant creative community while social distancing. Both Gomez and Niederhoffer are Yale College students, Class of 2022.
Welcome to ‘One’: Inaugural episode of web series features YC ’22s Gabrielle Niederhoffer and Laurie Gomez
Niederhoffer is a dancer and choreographer for musicals, operas and dance groups. While at home away from the New Haven campus, she has taken inspiration from current trends in online media to connect dancers by teaching dance classes over Zoom and hosting a Facebook group to unite the Yale dance community.
Niederhoffer says that social media and YouTube have been great tools for vernacular dance because they create vast networks of dance that keep the artform alive. She explains that she wants to create a dialogue around the rich history of tap dance and shine a spotlight on black vernacular dance. Her ideas have begun to take shape in the form of a vernacular dance festival now in development with support from the Schwarzman Center.
Gomez, the host of episode 1, is a second-year student in Ezra Stiles College and a student staff member for the Schwarzman Center specializing in communications outreach. She is involved with the Yale College Council and the Independent Party of the Yale Political Union.
One, a web series produced by the Schwarzman Center, highlights interdisciplinary approaches to the arts in relation to the Center’s values of collaboration, wellness and belonging. The inaugural season illuminates the creative and academic merits of student works impacted by social distance and explores perspectives on community-building among dispersed groups. The series title, One, is a nod to the Schwarzman Center’s aspiration to advance a sense of “One Yale” and create an interconnected community that builds new traditions of student engagement around the campus and into the world.
Subscribe to One on the Schwarzman Center YouTube channel. Connect with the Schwarzman Center on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest digital content and announcements.