Interview with Hillary Kooistra

Our own Irene Vandenberghe interviewed Hillary Kooistra, who participated in the Freshman Touring Company last year. Hillary Kooistra is now president of Dance Student Assembly and is involved in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance's Collaborative Student Assembly. Check out what she had to say!  

Q: What year in the dance department are you in at the moment?

A: Sophomore

Q: Was everyone involved in your FTC class freshman at the time?

A: Yep, all freshmen! And Robin, of course.

Q: Who was your favorite choreographer and why?

A: I loved working with all of the choreographers, but I would say I learned the most from working with Jessica Bonenfant. Jessica graduated from our MFA program in 2011, and came back to set a piece entitled Tethered on FTC. This piece was based on the works of TS Eliot and other poets, and involved speaking as well as dancing.  It was quirky, intellectual, and quite different from anything in our repertory. I think this piece was the first time I was exposed to the dance-theatre genre, which is now something I would very much like to pursue, so I am thankful that Jessica came in to work with us.

Q: What was your favorite venue to perform at?

A: I really enjoyed performing for the students at Dicken Elementary School. The stage we used was not the most ideal for dancing—we had about four square feet of solid dancing space—but the children’s energy made that all worthwhile. They were not afraid to laugh at the goofy parts of our show, give suggestions when we asked for audience participation, or cheer when they enjoyed something. We definitely fed off of their positive energy, and boosted our performances to keep them engaged. It was also cool to see so much U-M gear on such young children! I swear, almost half of them were wearing maize and blue! 

Q: What is your funniest FTC memory?

Hillary Kooistra

A: After rehearsal one Friday night, our entire class decided to go out for sushi, and we invited Robin. The seventeen of us trekked from the dance building to Sushi.com, all wearing our own strange combinations of dance clothes and heavy winter jackets, and we were EXTRMELY hyper. On our way to the restaurant, we started singing Disney songs, and before we knew it, we were all standing on a ledge (yes, in public), belting Mulan’s “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” I’m not sure what Robin thought, but I’m pretty sure she was ready to walk away. We still talk about that night and crack up at our ridiculousness.

Q: What advice would you give to current and future FTC members?

A: I would tell current and future members to make the most of their entire semester in FTC. Yes, the rehearsals are long, but when else will you have the opportunity to work and perform with every single member of your
class? How often are you exposed to a large number of guest artists in such a short amount of time? FTC offers so many unique opportunities that are not available to many pre-professional or even professional dancers, so make the most of it while you have the chance!