Spotlight on Dancer Anya Tang '26
We're putting a spotlight on Anya Tang '26, who was the assistant choreographer for SMC's recent musical, PIPPIN, and is now preparing for his last dance concert at Saint Mary's College!
Anya has been an excellent leader and impressive student in the Expressive & Performing Arts.
Here's an interview with Anya from May 1, 2026:
What was it like trying to balance being in PIPPIN and Assisting in Choreographing for it whilst also preparing for the dance concert?
I can say with full confidence that I committed to more than I could handle this semester. However, everything I committed myself to was something that I have found fulfilling and am passionate about, so it has been a whirlwind of immense stress mixed with so much joy. In addition to PIPPIN and the dance concert, I also represented SMC and my fellow senior choreographer Sami Owada’s work at ACDA (American College Dance Association), and I co-choreographed a set in this year’s annual cultural night.
A typical day this semester went from about 9am to 10pm with very few breaks, balancing dance rehearsals with theatre rehearsals all while finding time for computer science homework and being on the executive team for SMC Fencing Club. Often that time came out of my sleeping hours, and there was a period of time where I was pulling all-nighters every week just to stay on top of my assignments. I definitely felt the physical and mental toll of this semester more than any semester in my four years here.
However, amid the stress, I can say that PIPPIN was truly a beacon of joy and escape for me. Although the rehearsals were long and many, I genuinely looked forward to every single one and felt so happy and at peace during each rehearsal. Every time I was struggling with schoolwork or stress or even just feeling down, I would think about PIPPIN and how much I was looking forward to it. I would listen to songs from the show, watch rehearsal videos, and practice lines to hype myself up. I even listened to the rehearsal tracks and practiced harmonies while I did household chores and while I went to sleep. This also doubled as a chance to get in some additional practice for the show, which was needed when trying to juggle four other dance rehearsal processes.
What is your favorite style of dance?
My favorite styles of dance are hip hop, popping, locking, waacking, house, and—since coming to SMC—West African!
What has been your favorite memory being a part of the dance company?
My favorite memories from the dance company are from being in the senior capstone pieces of my friends every fall semester. It is so beautiful to witness the process of my friends creating work that is so dear and true to themselves and to get to perform these pieces and help them realize their visions.
My roommate Angie and I have known each other since the Spring before coming to SMC, and we always said we would be in each other’s senior pieces, so to finally get to live that dream out was incredibly special to me.
What are your post-grad plans?
Over the summer I will teach at my old dance studio, Roco Dance in Mill Valley. We will see what the future holds after that! Hopefully many more musicals!
Provide a description of what your senior Capstone piece was about, type of dance, soundtrack, theme, etc.
My senior capstone titled 夢蝶 | The Butterfly Dream explored the fluidity and expression of identity through ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi’s story of the butterfly dream. In his writings, he reflected on the blurred line between dreams and reality, “Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.”
The piece was set to three songs, “你看那是岸 - Intro” by Lu1, “夢蝶” by PENG CHING HUI, “蝴蝶 Butterfly, A Hyaline Beauty” by Voision Xi, 老莫 ILLMO, 張雄 關, which represented a journey from the waking world to the dream world and back again to the waking world with a new perspective. An additional interlude composed by my father entitled “Butterfly Reverie,” bridged the first two songs, representing the in-between state of falling into a dreaming slumber.
The choreography was a fusion work of many styles. I employed hip hop to represent the waking world, while modern, contemporary, and fan dance represented the dream world. The final section in which the dancers blended the two worlds and found their sense of community and individuality merged these styles with locking, 90s grooves, and Bay Area grooves, which are styles that are heavily expression- and community-based.
Is there anyone you would like to thank?
Thank you to my parents and my family for always supporting me in expressing myself through many forms of art! Thank you to the SMC dance program for pushing my artistry and giving me the space to cultivate my love and passion for dance! Thank you to Larissa Kelloway and the cast, crew, and production team of PIPPIN for creating a joyful, rich rehearsal process which I truly looked forward to everyday! Even though the show has ended, the happiness I feel from it has not!
See Anya perform in the spring '26 Dance Concert: Intersections & Connections.
Intersections & Connections showcases a variety of works choreographed by our esteemed Dance faculty and performed by our students of the Saint Mary’s College Dance Company and Baile Folklórico Guadalupano. The concert will feature Baile Folklórico (Mexican folk dance), Modern/Contemporary Dance, Tap and West African Dance. There will be some special pieces performed by the seniors in Baile Folklórico Guadalupano, West African Dance, and a piece choreographed for the seniors by Prof. Jia Wu in collaboration with the class of '26 dancers. Join us for this special dance concert, and enjoy the talent of our award-winning students.
Tickets are on sale here.
Thursday, May 7 at 8pm
Friday, May 8 at 8pm
Saturday, May 9 at 2:30pm & 8pm
ADA Accommodations/Questions: tms8@stmarys-ca.edu