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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

Artsy Jumbo | Dominik D juggles hip-hop dance, miming

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Dance is an inherently ephemeral medium, lasting only as long as its performance. What you see is what you get. As a result, it is arguably the most engrossing art form, for both the spectator and the artist.

Movement-based art intrigues Dominik Doemer (who goes by Dominik D), a freshman, who is a member of both Spirit of Color (SoC) and HYPE!, Tufts’ mime troupe. Hailing from Amherst, Mass., D danced in high school, where he was also involved in musicals and local theater.

When asked about the difficulties and challenges of dance, D said it’s about merging speed with choreography. After learning all the moves to one routine, “You’ll suddenly have to do it five times faster — and that’s difficult,” he said.

This is especially difficult in hip-hop, D’s preferred form of dance, which he describes as a style that combines speed with “a lot of isolations, clicking [and] hard movement.”

These same skills cross over well to performing mime, according to D, who said he plans to stay involved with both SoC and HYPE! throughout college. While dance is more about visceral expression, mime is about constructing a narrative with movement. D explains that these productions can get tricky.

“There are some things you just can’t do without speaking,” he said.

Regardless of the difficulties the effort often pays off, D said. He is frequently amazed by the extent to which people can communicate purely through movement.