A college experience driven by dance
From the first moment she stepped onto the St. Olaf College campus, Jordan Wright ’23 was captivated by the dance studios and companies — and she knew she wanted to be a dance major.
Four years later, she says her time on the Hill has been the experience of a lifetime. From taking online dance classes during the COVID-19 pandemic to balancing full-time school while performing with a dance company, Wright has adapted and learned incredible time management skills.
Wright also completed an Asian studies major, took part in the visiting artist series “The Kids are Alright: Art, Culture + Social Change” where she danced alongside a Grammy Award–winning artist, and delivered the Class of 2023 senior commencement address.
Supported by the small, tight-knit community and personal relationships with faculty and staff, Wright says she’s been encouraged to be herself, and would define being an Ole as being “unapologetically authentic.”
“I’m really lucky that I can channel who I am into what I do,” she says. “Dance is an embodiment and continuation of who I am as a person.”
“I’m really lucky that I can channel who I am into what I do. Dance is an embodiment and continuation of who I am as a person.”
Jordan Wright ’23
Today Wright is studying fine arts management at the University of Roehampton in London through an organization called Performing Arts Abroad and working remotely for the Minneapolis-based Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater company. She plans to stay in London when she graduates from the program, and work for the organization that gave her this opportunity.
Wright says the path she’s taken after St. Olaf was made possible by the Dance Department and strong mentors like Professor of Dance Heather Klopchin.
“I am so grateful for their dedication to us as students and artists,” Wright says. “I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”