Julie Crothers lets nothing stand in the way of achievement. A senior Elon College Fellow, she is majoring in dance and arts administration. She performed her final dance research project, “Performing Self: An Evening of Dance and Conversation,” in Studio A in the Center for the Arts.
The April 24 performance was the culmination of two years of research, largely influenced by her interest in autobiographical performance. As Crothers explained in her brief introduction, she was born without a left forearm and had previously danced with a prosthetic arm.
Not anymore. In the 20-minute solo, Crothers told her story through dance.
The solo began with a long pause as sounds of water running and seagulls filled the studio. Suddenly, Crothers collapsed to the floor but powerfully caught herself in a sustained pose. The piece included extensive floor work as she moved her body into various shapes and positions.
Then, Crothers began to speak as she danced. She expressed her thoughts as a child, how she prayed every day her arm would grow and how she longed to do ordinary tasks and learn how to French braid her own hair.
“Maybe like magic, it would grow,” Crothers said between movements. “Or maybe not. It didn’t happen.”
She shared her initial desire to fit in and her eventual acceptance of the qualities that make her unique.
“Thus, independence grows out of a need to self suffice,” she said toward the end of the solo. “This is all I’ll ever have. And this is all I’ll ever need. This is me.”
Crothers then stood and faced the audience as she began an incredible task: She French-braided her hair with only her right hand.
“Each time I see it, it becomes more and more impactful,” said Lauren Kearns, head of the Performing Arts Dance Program and Crothers’ mentor, commenting on how she has seen this project develop.
Crothers showed the audience several poster boards that highlighted various aspects of her project. Included were pages of diary entries and notes on her choreography.
This current path is not the one Crothers originally saw herself on. When she came to Elon, said she hoped to study dance from a pedagogy perspective so she could teach one day, but did not have professional aspirations.
The turning point for Crothers was at the Bates Dance Festival in Maine during a summer internship in 2012 when she discovered the freedom of dancing without a prosthetic arm.
“It was just something I knew needed to happen. I wasn’t satisfied with the dancer that I was,” Crothers said, explaining while it was a sudden decision, it served as the foundation for her research to commence.
It was a monumental shift for Crothers, who now has embraced her unique qualities and is pursuing a career as a professional dancer.
“I hope to continue doing my own thing,” Crothers said. “I’m definitely going to perform with someone somewhere.”