For a few transformative weeks this spring, the boundaries between professional and student dancers melted away. The New York–based Tiffany Mills Dance Company, headed by Director of Dance Tiffany Mills, brought its signature style of physical storytelling to campus, engaging the community in workshops and culminating in a powerful performance of The Viola Trilogy on April 4 and 5.
Mills joined Lewis & Clark in fall 2024 at an exciting time in the dance program, which is housed in the theatre department. Upon the department debuting its dance concentration, Mills started looking for new opportunities for students to gain real-world experience in the field. Mills had envisioned bringing members from her New York–based company to L&C as soon as she was hired. As Mills explains, “I’m a firm believer that art needs to go everywhere, and not just be in the biggest of U.S. cities. Portland is a fantastic arts community.”
Mills selected The Viola Trilogy as the focus of her company’s residency at Lewis & Clark. The Viola Trilogy originally premiered in New York City at National Sawdust, a world-renowned arts organization. Performed to an original music score featuring seven violas, the performance has been widely lauded by critics and media. For the West Coast premiere at Lewis & Clark, 10 students were selected to join the company, working with the company throughout spring semester.
L&C students played a fundamental role in crafting the version performed on the Main Stage. “I didn’t just bring in a video and say, ‘Learn this material.’ We created it from scratch with the same concepts that the company worked with. And for this particular piece, the company created a structured improvisation,” Mills explains. “Lewis & Clark students got to be collaborators and generate material with us.”
Zoe Chinn BA ’26, a biology and theatre double major, benefited from this format. “A significant amount of the piece that the L&C students were in was generated by us using Tiffany’s feedback,” says Chinn. “The story arc was set in place, but all of the material, except for one section, was new for this production. I have greatly expanded my skill set in improvisation, partnering, and composition.”
Each rehearsal included foundations from dance concentration classes, such as somatic practices that emphasize the connection between mind and body. “In my teaching, I always bring in somatic concepts, and it’s also there in my choreography,” says Mills. “I feel like without somatic practice, it’s hard to have a long career in dance. If you understand some of the basic elements on a very deep level—like breath, groundedness, gravity, and momentum—they’re going to help you become more dynamic and have a wider range of movement possibilities.”
Leading up to the performance, the company conducted a series of free workshops at Lewis & Clark and nearby Reed College. These workshops, which were open to the public, were designed to provide an in-depth exploration into partnering, improvisation, and the dancers’ creative process.
Inspired by her recent work with the Portland Ballet in a Dance for Parkinson’s Oregon class, Mills organized an extra workshop to support neurodiverse members of the community and those who may need mobility aids. “Everybody should be working within their own body so they’re never trying to be somebody else, but instead trying to become more of who they are. It’s not about imitation, but it’s a lot about experiencing from the inside out.”
In another unique collaboration, the University of Oregon brought their dance majors to Lewis & Clark on Friday, April 4, for a master class and performance with the company as a way to build community between Oregon dancers across college campuses.
While Mills viewed The Viola Trilogy as a pilot project, she foresees future engagements with the campus community. She sees the work with her professional company as a complement to Lewis & Clark’s two student-choreographed dance showcases, Dance X (fall semester) and Dance Y (spring semester). Together, these performances maximize opportunities for L&C dancers.
Chinn reflects on what the experience with the Tiffany Mills Dance Company has meant to them. “As a dance major, I will be doing a senior thesis next year and choreographing for Dance X, and this experience has been significant in idea generation. I have learned so much from Tiffany’s technique in prompting and guiding people in creating choreography. I plan to use these teaching techniques in my future endeavors as a choreographer and dancer.”
After graduation, Chinn hopes to perform with a dance company. “This residency has given me insight into what working with professional choreographers looks like.”
Dance Arts@LC
