Olivia Lampel (first year) started dancing when her mom put her in ballet classes at age 3. Her own interest in dance sparked at age 8, making the decision to move from Virginia to California to attend California School of the Arts in San Gabriel Valley.
“I feel like I really blossomed as an artist, I trained in every style, we had performances,” Lampel said. “They even had this thing called the ‘student choreography show’ […] and I really enjoyed being able to choreograph with my peers.”
Lampel said after truly getting into dance at age 8, she knew she wanted to incorporate it into her life.
“I just love how you don’t have to say any words to express emotions. [Dance] transcends language,” Lampel said. “I think it’s so beautiful how an audience or your group of friends can feel exactly what you’re feeling without uttering a single word.”
According to Lampel, she began taking dance even more seriously after moving to California, partially because this was also when she discovered her passion for teaching dance.
“I trained at another school called Snow Globe Perspective and I had a mentor there and he allowed me to actually teach at the studio, so I also found a love for teaching,” Lampel said. “I think I was 16 when I taught my first dance class.”
Lampel carried her teaching beyond high school, and she was one of the first year choreographers for the annual Dance Production (Dance Pro) showcase. Lampel’s piece was titled “Persuasive.”
Carolina Bueno (junior), another Dance Pro choreographer, was one of the 19 dancers in Lampel’s piece. Bueno said she characterizes Lampel’s choreography as intricate and multifaceted.
“The layers to how [Lampel] works and moves and the textures that she plays with creates pieces that are really engaging and interesting, really broadcasting her knowledge across styles and bridging them together stunningly — from house to jazz funk and beyond,” Bueno said.
Dance Pro Choreographer Charlotte Angermeier (junior) said she considers herself a lyric-based choreographer and sees Lampel’s choreography as being musicality-based. Angermeier said their differences make them stronger as choreographers.
“When we create together, our different instincts and responses to music allow us to fuse our styles and create something that speaks to both the rhythm and lyrics of a given song,” Angermeir said.
As another first-time choreographer, Bueno said she felt an immediate sense of kinship and solidarity with Lampel. Coming from different dance backgrounds, Bueno said she is forever grateful that Dance Pro led to them crossing paths.
“[Lampel] comes from a much stronger dance background than I do, and so her knowledge supersedes any understanding of dance I could dream of having — and yet she never makes me feel like anything less than an equal when it comes to artistry,” Bueno said.
Angermier said she admires how dance has an unspoken way of connecting people, believing that to be the reason she became friends with Lampel. Angermier said in addition to bringing more experienced dancers together, Lampel’s piece also introduced new dancers, such as Roxanne Albert (first year), to the art.
Albert said she met Lampel before the 2024–25 academic year through the Humanities for Just Communities virtual summer course, but she really got to know Lampel after joining Dance Pro in October.
“There were a handful of people like me who had never danced before,” Albert said. “I think Olivia adapted really well to the different skill levels and taught at a pace where people like me who didn’t know how to pick up the steps could pick it up […] and making sure that dancers of higher levels weren’t bored in rehearsal.”
Albert said the Dance Pro environment and Lampel’s rehearsals were great spaces for collaboration when brainstorming, planning and executing choreography.
“I’m really just there to watch [Lampel] put everything in motion and watch her do what she’s good at,” Albert said. “She’s a really good teacher, so I follow what she does and then she asks for input.”
Angermier said Lampel is the embodiment of a team player and that it is apparent dance is her passion.
“She graciously shares her talent with her dancers and fellow choreographers, which we are all lucky to be a part of,” Angermier said.
Lampel said she admires the community she has found both at Occidental, and more specifically, through Dance Pro.
“I’m slowly finding my groove at Oxy. I’m so grateful for Dance Production because I’m finding a dance community,” said Lampel.
Contact Mars Gallati at gallati@oxy.edu
