Backstage at Expressions

Class is not in session, but Lowell Lecture Hall is packed.

In the building’s basement, a tangle of more than 100 dancers warms up before Expressions Dance Company’s first show of the day. Expressions, a student-led hip hop troupe at Harvard, debuts their spring show, "Excuse Me?," in 45 minutes.

A quick walk through the basement reveals a tornado of activity. Dancers are pouring out of the small hallway's three classrooms and two bathrooms. While every space has a different purpose, each one is filled with an explosion of energy.

In the first classroom, framed by the desks pushed hurriedly against the wall, people rehearse in groups of two or three—talking excitedly, laughing, and plugging into music to get prepped for the performance. One dancer starts singing “Too Much Booty in the Pants” to herself. The second room holds about a dozen people engaging in a more unified practice of an upcoming routine. The third room, where Expressions members gab around tables, is distinctly more relaxed. In the hallway, some students practice their moves side by side, while others squeeze behind their backs on their way to the classrooms. Hours of dance training have prepared them to glide effortlessly through the crowd.

“I think there’s something about show day that creates bonds that other experiences just can’t,” says Expressions director Rebecca H. Neuman ’16.

Five minutes until showtime, the Expressions directors call all dancers to assemble in the hallway for The Pulse, the pre-show ritual during which the team passes a squeeze from hand to hand. Neuman explains, “There’s a lot of excitement, and it’s great to take a second to be quiet and reflect on the performance [and] get ready mentally. And it creates a really strong sense of community.”

The Expressions dancers invite me to participate in The Pulse. We hold hands in a big circle, forming a stretched-out loop in the small hallway. We close our eyes, and the hallway falls unusually silent. For just a moment, a feeling of peace blankets the hubbub in the basement. The dancers are connected, united in their excitement and bonded by their art form. I wait intently for The Pulse to reach me. I hold onto it for a second before sending it on its way.

After 96 seconds of tranquility, the girl who initiated the first squeeze cheers loudly. The rest of the group joins in. The cheer marks the end of The Pulse, when the hand-squeeze makes a complete circle.