American modern dance as it is known today owes its existence and rich history to a canon of dance pioneers—the “founding mothers” of modern dance. How appropriate it is, then, that Goucher’s Dance Department has its own founding mother, Professor of Dance Chrystelle Trump Bond. On the faculty of the college since 1963, Bond has seen the dance program grow from a few courses in the physical education department to a nationally renowned program that features eight unique tracks of study. This year marks Bond’s golden anniversary at Goucher. Bond is both a dance historian and a kinesthetic scholar. Her varied training and experiences have allowed her to cultivate and integrate these two roles. While growing up in Maryland, she studied both Russian and French ballet with Michael Nicholoff and Hildegard Holm, respectively. She studied jazz and tap in Baltimore and spent summers in New York City. While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in dance and physical education and then a master’s of fine arts in dance and dance history at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (now UNC-Greensboro), she trained professionally at summer dance festivals in New London, Connecticut. There, she studied and danced with choreographers such as Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Louis Horst, José Limón, and Paul Taylor, just to name a few. She also learned from dance critics and historians such as John Martin and Selma Jeanne Cohen.
Furthermore, Bond has analyzed the life and contributions of Lillian Moore, a Goucher student who left the college to dance ballet professionally in New York, where she met George Balanchine and then joined his company, the precursor to the New York City Ballet. Bond’s current research focuses on the history of dance at Goucher. Professor Bond’s focus on the college in her research pairs nicely with her keen interest in the college’s main purpose to educate its students. During her 50-year tenure, Bond has taught a plethora of courses including all levels of ballet and modern dance technique, three different courses in dance history, advanced choreography, a seminar in dance history, theory, and criticism, anatomy and kinesiology for dance, and a first-year Frontiers course, “War and Dancing: Strange Bedfellows” (which the author of this article had the opportunity to take).
“If you don’t have passion, there’s the door.” Chrystelle Bond
Even after accepting her position at Goucher, Bond continued to train and take classes in ballet, modern, and postmodern dance with individuals including Merce Cunningham, Meredith Monk, and Yvonne Rainer. Additionally, she attended dance critics seminars over the summers.
Bond has led Intensive Courses Abroad (ICAs) to England and Brazil. She has also overseen many independent studies for students whose interests transcend the topics covered by Goucher’s already diverse dance curriculum.
Since she was immersed in many exciting eras in the progression of dance, it is not surprising that Professor Bond is passionate about dance history and criticism and her scholarship focuses on these fields.
Within the classroom, Bond leads a passionate and memorable class: students admiringly recall her mantras, such as “dance is a cultural metaphor” and “if you don’t have passion, there’s the door.”
Her numerous projects have included research on dance in Baltimore from 1814-1900, published by Dance Perspectives. She has also researched and reconstructed dances of the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Colonial/ Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, World Wars I and II, and 1950s and 1960s periods.
Bond’s courses instill a sense of devotion in her students. As Shawnia White ’11 reflects, “[Professor Bond] was extremely helpful in helping me define who I am. Her seminar class questioned why I danced, what I believed, and made me answer honestly with love, passion, and dedication. I left that class ready to pursue anything I wanted and because of
her class I have had the opportunity to live my dreams and stand tall, ready to defend what I believe.” Professor Bond clearly loves what she does, and this sentiment is infectious. Bond is also the director of Chorégraphie Antique, the dance history ensemble of Goucher College. The performance troupe, comprised of students, alumnae/i, and community members, performs historical reconstructions of dances on local, regional, national, and international stages. The company even performed at one of Barack Obama’s inaugural balls in 2009. In addition to her duties in the Dance Department, Professor Bond has been involved in the general Goucher community. Upon arriving to Goucher in 1963, Bond was a faculty member in residence and lived in the Froelicher-Alcock apartment for a time. After she married Tim Bond, the couple moved into the Stimson-Connor apartment. She has served on numerous college committees and is responsible for the library’s Jacques-Pierre Collection, a collection of stories about pets established to honor Bond’s beloved toy poodle, Jacques-Pierre. Bond’s love of dogs and animals also led to the annual Blessing of the Animals service, a memorable collegewide event. Chrystelle Bond’s presence has influenced and benefitted Goucher in innumerable ways over the past 50 years. As an academic and historian, she enriches the field of dance history and criticism for future generations. As a professor and mentor, she inspires students. This inspiration in future generations is what drives Professor Bond. She says: “I am most proud of the accomplishments of Chorégraphie Antique, as well as all the dance majors who graduated and are now out in the world sharing their passion, knowledge, and experiences to demonstrate how dance is a most meaningful and significant art form that can make contributions to better human understanding, peace, and good health, and increase the quality of life for all.” Professor Bond, thank you.
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