The disciplines of dance
Jill Johnson wants her love of dance to be contagious. The new director of the Office for the Arts at Harvard’s (OFA) Dance Program intends to bring her passion for the medium to everyone she can, from undergraduates to the scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics located next door to the Harvard Dance Center on Garden Street. “I am fascinated by this idea of transdisciplinary investigation, and that dance is a substantive source of inquiry,” said Johnson, a redhead with a bright smile and an outlook on life she likes to call her “radical optimism.” “I want to cast a wide net and say this is about ideas.” Exposing the Harvard Dance Program to the diversity and interests of the students and faculty is a priority for Johnson, who also intends to bring “their love of learning to bear on learning about the world of dance,” through workshops, classes, discussions, and performances. “Architecture,...