Josh Magno, a senior, was one of 40 students from all over to receive the Thomas J. Watson fellowship. The mission of the fellowship is to allow students to pursue an independent study outside of the US. Josh’s project is called “5, 6, 7, 8, Instep, Outreach: An Exploration of Dance as Community Service.” He’s going to travel all around the world, to Argentina, the UK, France and Egypt and visit dance companies that actively address community issues, like environmental issues, AIDS awareness, and sexuality. His goal is to study how dance techniques are impacted by the surrounding culture and the community’s particular difficulties. Her Campus Bowdoin was fortunate to get to talk to him about his project, among other things.
1. Name, Major, Hometown?
My name is Joshua Magno, I am a Neuroscience major and a Theater minor, and I’m from a very small suburb northwest of Illinois called Wheeling.
2. How did you get involved in dance?
I had been involved with Karate for a good portion of my life, about ten years, but I really started dancing in high school. There was this great club/class called Orchesis, and my friends who were on the team were looking for more guys to join, and they convinced me. I ended up dabbling in hip hop, ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, and pretty much everything else you could imagine, including Filipino stick dance. Years later, I found myself wanting to learn and perform more.
3. What dancing do you do here on campus?
I started choreographing for the ASA Fashion show during my first year, and my friends convinced me to do more. At the time, I had also been a part of UNITY Step Team. I started EleMental, which is a “lyrical hip hop team” with a good friend of mine (Allie Wilkinson, ’11) my sophomore year, and we choreographed up until junior year (with Melanie Pinette ’12, Johnny Coster ’12, and Katie Woo ’12) for the Winter Dance Show, Spring Dance Show, and the ASA Fashion Show. I was also a part of Obvious for a hot second during Junior year. I’ve taken a step back this year, but I’ve been in the fall musical and the spring dance show with the dance classes. …So I guess you could say a lot.
4. What are you most excited about in regards to your coming project?
Is “everything” a good answer? I mean, I didn’t go abroad while I was at Bowdoin, so spending a year around the world seems absolutely wild right now. But more importantly, I’m doing two things (dance and community service) that I value a lot. Having the opportunity to meld the two together is a dream come true *cue cartoon birds tweeting and deer jumping*.
5. Signature Dance Move
Fork in the garbage disposal.
6. Favorite Party Jam:
a. in 8th grade?
I’m Real – J. Lo & Ja Rule – It’s a classic, period.
b. now?
In My Life – Beatles/Jason Mraz – Graduation’s coming up, so I’ve been getting very sappy and nostalgic.
7. Favorite kind of dance?
Pole or Norwegian clogging. Both are very athletic, and ultimately physically demanding. The stamina required for both is ever so impressive.
8. So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With the Stars, or America’s Best Dance Crew?
Definitely SYTYCD. There’s so much variation in the styles of dance you see there. Sure, the other two show different styles, but SYTYCD shows so much more. I’m very liberal artsy – I like being well rounded.
9. Would you rather…
a. dance only the Macarena or only The Sprinkler (for the rest of your life!)
THE MACARENA. It’s a complete throwback to my childhood, and I feel like The Sprinkler would just hurt after a while. Especially on that one leg.
b. only wear 80s dance attire (all the time, for all occasions) or wear a full suit (all the time, for all occasions)
Full suit. I’m a classy guy. GQ-esque, if you will. A suit never goes out of style. I love the 80s, but those days are OVER.