Field Work Term Spotlight: Krithika Meenakshi

At Bennington, students spend six weeks every year taking their skills and knowledge out of the classroom and applying them in the world of work. They use this annual work-learning opportunity—known as Field Work Term—to deepen their studies, challenge and test new ideas, and hone their direction for the future.

How did your FWT relate to (or diverge from!) your studies at Bennington?

My Field Work Term with Ronita Mookerji very much related to my areas of studies and plans of concentration at Bennington. My plan for my Field Work Term experiences during my time at Bennington is to do two experiences in acting and two experiences in dance. At Bennington, one of the subject areas I study is Dance, so my idea was to train under an experienced, advanced dancer, choreographer, or dance company, for 200 hours. This was my passion and ideal Field Work Term for dance.

Luckily, I found such a Field Work Term when Ronita Mookerji, an advanced, experienced dancer/choreographer/teacher from India, approached me and extended her interest in being my mentor for those 200 hours of my Field Work Term. It was gracious of her, and I was lucky for such an opportunity.

At my Field Work Term with Ronita Mookerji, we trained in contemporary dance for several hours, we trained in various kinds of improvisation work; we watched dance films and dance documentaries; we wrote about dance; we experienced dance rehearsals and the process of showing in a dance performance, and we tried to gain influence from related-but-different forms of art like fine arts like art, painting, sculpture, and photography. We trained in the process of choreography and how to choreograph a piece and come up with your own performance work and show. We tried to take influences from personal journaling and life and incorporate that into dance. We also indulged in training the body for dance by working on strength training, flexibility, and warming up and stretching the body.

My Field Work Term was an eclectic mix of everything that dance can be and is and everything that a life of a dancer is and can be. This is similar to what my journey and learning and studies and process is at Bennington College in Dance. It is purely passion, joy, persistence, learning, and effort.

What did a typical day at your FWT site look like? 

A typical day at my Field Work Term site was a mix between strength training, flexibility training, warm ups, and then personal private training in choreography or improvisation combined with a group class in contemporary dance, focusing on technique and choreography. This was combined with witnessing rehearsal processes or watching dance films on some days, as well as writing or journaling about dance and life. Not everyday was exactly the same. There was no fixed number of daily hours, but there was a deep focus on quality over quantity and focusing on the journey and vision.

What surprised or challenged you the most about your position?

The life of a dancer is hard. It's exciting, it's passionate, it can bring joy, it's healthy, it's social, it's a combination of a solo life and a community life, but it's hard because you have to keep persisting physically day after day, for hours on end, without falling ill or developing health issues. Health has to be a priority because health becomes your best friend and aid at helping you achieve your passion and life as a dancer. But if you fall ill, being a dancer can be difficult because the doctor will ask you to rest while your work and your concern will want you to move, dance, and do.

The most challenging part of being a dancer is protecting and preserving health without being able to lead an indulgent or irresponsible or uncaring life because the body is inherently important in the art form of dance. It is the very tool that is needed to keep going on. Being in this state of health and persistence is the most challenging part about the life of a dancer, for me.

What do you hope to do in the future—for your next FWT and beyond Bennington?

I plan to do two Field Work Term experiences in dance and two in acting. I wish for my next FWT in dance to also be training in dance performance, technique, choreography, and body preparation for dance, with perhaps an experienced dancer, choreographer, or teacher, which will help me grow and improve and learn as a dancer.

If I am approved, I would love to do my FWT again with Ronita Mookerji to build and grow and improve on the journey in dance I have started with her and on my own, and to continue training and learning and being mentored by her. If this isn't possible, I will find another advanced, experienced dancer and/or choreographer somewhere in the world and train under them in the field of dance. This is my dream. I wish to do an exciting, interesting, beautiful, and deep FWT in dance next year.