Director helps dancers find the rhythm

After 30 years of teaching on IU’s campus, Iris Rosa is full of energy, enthusiasm and concern for her students.\nRosa, a professor in the African American and African Diaspora Studies department, is the instructor of the African American Dance Company. Students audition for the company at the beginning of the year and once accepted, they are enrolled in a two-credit-hour course called “African American Dance: Culture and Performance.” The company typically has four to five performances a year, including a fall dance concert and a spring dance concert. \nBorn in Puerto Rico, Rosa moved to Indiana when she was 3 years old. She graduated from IU with a major in physical education and a concentration in dance. Right after graduation, she was given the opportunity to teach and has been at IU ever since.\nDeara Ball, a senior majoring in journalism and English, said Rosa truly cares about students. \n“She is a very intellectual person and incorporates the intellectual aspects of dance in class,” Ball said. “She is like a motherly figure and wants her students to get the most out of their experience.”\nRosa’s classes emphasize different aspects of dance, combining both physical and mental endurance. Although there is no textbook for her students in the dance company, Rosa uses articles, clips, group projects and anything else available to inspire her students. \nDuring the semester, she incorporates what she calls “fusion,” in which her students learn about modern dance, ballet and African- and Caribbean-inspired dance.\n“It is a discipline,” Rosa said. “I wish people would see beyond what they just see and know the process.”\nMany might view her as someone who has centered her whole life around dance, but she said she never dreamed of pursuing a career in the profession until she was 18 years old. At that age, she said she just “fell into” dancing and started teaching others how to move. \n“I never like to be defined by one thing,” Rosa said. “Some people liked to be put in a box but I don’t like to be put in a box.”\nOutside of IU, Rosa involves herself in other projects. She has worked with and choreographed for theaters in Indianapolis, such as the Indianapolis Civic Theatre and the Phoenix Theatre. She has done projects for international dance companies and has worked with various directors and playwrights.\nAshley Cole, a junior who took one of Rosa’s outside classes when she was younger, said Rosa has a gift for inspiring others. \n“She was always so friendly and warm,” Cole said. \nRosa offers a simple explanation for her passion.\n“I enjoy what I do,” Rosa said. “It is what it is.”