Ashley Hannan

What is your major? Concentration?
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Modern Dance Emphasis

What has been your most memorable moment at UVU?
There are too many to count!  My overall experience is memorable because it is made up of so many put together.  The past several years has been such a great experience.  Hard, stressful, but also fun and enlivening.  I have learned so much here- not just from my books, but from the amazing faculty and my fellow students.  Our institution offers so much, but it’s really the people here that have made a difference for me.  So, I guess you could say my most memorable moments are the interactions I have had with the people here.  Faculty and students.

What are your plans following graduation?
I just got hired for a professional dance company based out of L.A. called Diavolo.  It is a modern dance company but is highly acrobatic.  It’s similar to Cirque de Soleil, just on a smaller scale.  After I perform for a while I plan to become certified as a Laban Movement Analyst, get my Masters degree in Choreography or in Dance/Movement Therapy, and teach in higher education.

Any words of wisdom?
This sounds nerdy, but what I’ll miss the most is the same as what has been most memorable for me- all of the relationships and connections I have made at UVU- both with my peers and my professors.  I’ve really been transformed from my experiences here and my interactions with people.  I’ve become far more expanded in my skills, in my thinking, in the way I do my work and approach my life.  Our university is growing rapidly, but  the professors still really care about the students.  They take the time and energy to help us progress and provide us with tools to enable us to be successful human beings in the world; in whatever it is we choose to do after we leave here.  I will miss the one-on-one mentoring, the feedback and guidance, all of the performing opportunities as well as the scholarly and academic opportunities we get so much here at UVU.  What’s neat about our school is that you don’t just get to learn about your area of emphasis, you get to experience it- there are so many things to be involved in and opportunities to take- we really are an “engaged” university.