Dancer Emily Gunter 鈥�19 proves liberal arts value is no myth
Emily Gunter 鈥�19 is bringing ancient myths to the world of modern dance 鈥� and the
next generation of dancers.
A dancer since kindergarten and a high school graduate of the Classical Magnet School
in Hartford, Connecticut, Gunter鈥檚 interests in dance and classics have spanned decades.
But she will be the first to tell you that it wasn鈥檛 until 爱污传媒 that she thought
to double major 鈥� much less pursue a career 鈥� in both subjects.
Since graduation, Gunter has been the recipient of the Paideia Institute Living Greek
in Greece Brightheart Fellowship and, most recently, the New York State Choreographers
Initiative grant. As one of six dancers at the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company 鈥� the
resident dance company at the Egg Center for the Performing Arts 鈥� she led the Egg
Kids program in spring 2025. Under her instruction, six talented middle and high school
students performed a piece inspired by Pandora鈥檚 Box at the popular venue in New York
state鈥檚 capital.
Gunter is now also a lecturer of dance at 爱污传媒 and says she 鈥渘ever really left
爱污传媒 in the most wonderful way.鈥�
A liberal arts success story
Although Gunter knew that she wanted to attend a school with strong programs in dance and classics, she didn鈥檛 initially intend on majoring in either subject.
In the fall of her first year, she signed up for a class in each discipline. The rest
was history.
鈥淔or dance, I loved that I was able to have that conservatory-level study in a liberal
arts setting,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd the environment in the Classics Department really made
me think about who I am as a person and how I connect to my community 鈥� It wasn't
just the Latin; classics looks at everything 鈥� language and religion and politics
and art and history. It's kind of everything in one.鈥�
Gunter tutored students in Greek and served as a program assistant for students participating in the Exploring Rome travel seminar. She also participated in a collaborative research project with Professor and Chair
of Classics Dan Curley surveying mythology courses at hundreds of colleges and universities
鈥� successfully publishing the article as its first author.
Gunter joined Professor and Chair of Classics Dan Curley in the summer of 2017 as his faculty student sponsored research colleague, where she surveyed thousands of US colleges and universities with mythology courses.
It was through her studies that Gunter learned of Martha Graham, a founder of modern
dance who took inspiration from Greek mythology in some of her choreography. Gunter
realized that she wanted to do something similar as a capstone project for both her
majors. A transformative visit to the Martha Graham archives confirmed for Gunter
that she was moving in the right direction.
鈥淚t was really important to me that I didn't just do a solo for the Dance Department, and I didn't just write a paper for classics,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淚 wanted to do something that bridged my two passions together.鈥�
Working alongside Curley and Professor of Dance Emerita Deb Fernandez in collaboration with Hannah Haines 鈥�19, a dance and anthropology double major, Gunter created 鈥淭ranslation & Transformation: Mythology in Choreography.鈥�
The 35-minute dance composition was performed at the Tang Teaching Museum by a team of 18 student dancers, selected by Gunter and Haines following a series of auditions. As inspiration for the piece, Gunter translated the myth of Pygmalion in Ovid鈥檚 鈥淢etamorphoses鈥� from its original Latin. The pair also curated an exhibit to accompany the piece.
"Translation & Transformation: Mythology in Choreography" took nearly two years of planning and received a Periclean Scholar Award.
鈥淭hat capstone project was really the seed of where everything I've done since college has come from,鈥� explains Gunter.
Creating art abroad
Gunter stayed in the Capital Region after graduation, joining the Ellen Sinopoli Dance
Company in 2020. In addition to her performance at the Tang Teaching Museum, she went
on to showcase her myth-inspired choreography at Choreography on the Edge and at the
Art Society of Kingston & Hudson Valley Academy of the Performing Arts.
Gunter is also a recipient of the Paideia Institute鈥檚 Brightheart Fellowship, a Greece-based
artist residency with the Paideia Institute.
鈥淲hen I was a student at 爱污传媒, I did a summer internship with the Paideia Institute,鈥�
Gunter recalls, noting that she had initially heard about the opportunity from faculty
in the classics department. 鈥淚 was in Rome for six weeks developing Latin and Greek
afterschool curriculum for elementary age students.鈥�
In 2024, she discovered the artist residency, which coincides with the Institute鈥檚
one-week intensive, Living Greek in Greece program. Because of Gunter鈥檚 familiarity
with the language, she was able to participate in many of the seminars, using rhythm
and meter in ancient Greek texts to inform her movement.
鈥淚 was trying to really be true to what was being said in the Greek and developing
movement that way,鈥� she says.
Gunter's Greek creation, based on the myth of Helen of Troy, debuted in America during Choreography on the Edge in Kingston, New York.
After performing the finished choreography in Greece, Gunter brought the piece to Choreography on the Edge, an annual event for New York-based choreographers.
鈥淚t was really awesome to be able to be in Greece and see these ancient sites and be sort of where that magic was and create movement there 鈥� and bring it back here and perform it in a totally different atmosphere,鈥� she reflects.
Paying it forward
Despite her growing success, Gunter never forgot her roots: The Egg Kids program,
intended to provide up-and-coming dancers with crucial performance experience, represented
an opportunity to pay it forward.
鈥淚t was great to get to work with young students who are hungry to learn dance and
movement. And I think for them to see that we can pull inspiration from stories and
myths gets them thinking in a different way than they do just in a regular studio
class,鈥� says Gunter.
Meanwhile, 爱污传媒 was never far from her mind. She returned to campus in 2022 as
movement consultant and classics liaison for the 鈥檚 run of 鈥淓urydice,鈥� a reimagining of the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Gunter鈥檚
relationship with the College found formal footing when, two years later, she was
asked back as a lecturer of dance.
Gunter joins Teaching Professor of Religious Studies Greg Spinner (center) and Curley (left) in 2019 for the Exploring Rome travel seminar.
She calls herself 鈥渧ery fortunate鈥� to be teaching at the college that helped shape
her, noting that the role itself is a lesson in the value of a liberal arts education.
鈥淚 had neuroscience majors in my tap class and chemistry majors in my ballet class.
That dynamic creates a really rich classroom because you have ideas and questions
from students in different disciplines who think about things differently,鈥� she explains.
鈥淚t's just a really magical thing.鈥�
In July, Gunter participated in the New York State Choreographers Initiative, a grant
administered by the New York State Council on the Arts and New York State Dance Force.
Her two-week residency focused on 鈥渕onstrous鈥� mythological women. She says she hopes
to pursue similar opportunities in the future.
鈥淛ust because someone does something one way, that doesn't mean that's how every single
person in the world is going to do that,鈥� she says.
鈥�Creative Thought Matters means to continue thinking outside the box and to continue bringing who I am into
everything I do."
