Springfield College Senior Performs at Jacob’s Pillow Dance

Wed, 09/16/2026 - 12:00

By Judith Kelliher

Rachel Vakassian, a senior in the Dance/Pre-PT to DPT program, had the exciting opportunity of performing at the renowned Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival this past summer along with two recent graduates of the Springfield College Dance program, Julia Merk ’26 and Hannah McGee ’25. Vakassian was invited to perform as part of Community Day in Noel Staples-Freeman's choreographic work, Growing Where Planted: African Tapestry. Staples-Freeman, known as “Sister Noel” to her students, is an adjunct professor of Dance at Springfield College.

“I took Sister Noel’s African Dance Technique and Theory course last spring, and really enjoyed it. I have taken West African dance classes before, but learned a lot of new movements and important dance lineage specifically from her classes,” Vakassian said. “After taking her class, Sister Noel invited me to be part of this experience alongside other community members and artists.”

Vakassian added that it’s important to her to use the knowledge from class to perform the movements in their truest form, representing the embodied truth of this art form's history and culture on such a renowned stage.

In reflecting on the experience, Vakassian found it “so surreal” to have performed on the Henry J. Leir Stage at Jacob’s Pillow with the Berkshire African Dance and Drum (BADD) Collective, an arts and movement organization led by Sister Noel.

“This opportunity is huge for my resume as I head into my Advanced Dance Seminar class this semester and establish myself as an artist. I am very grateful for the connections Springfield College has with Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, as it continues to support the art of dance,” Vakassian said. “Heading into a career involving dance, these connections are important for me to build a network and stay connected through one of the biggest national historic landmarks and educational sites of the dance world.”

Vakassian specifically credits her Dance and Pre-PT studies in preparing her for this Jacob’s Pillow experience in various ways, including Sarah Zehnder, co-director of Dance/Pre-PT to DPT and associate professor of Dance at Springfield College, instilling professionalism in all of the Dance program’s students “since day one.”

“We have been taught how to warm ourselves up, confidently present ourselves in a space, communicate with technical staff, and be adaptable, to name a few. Because of this, I was appointed as one of the leaders in the space for rehearsals with BADD Collective,” she said. “Performing with Sister Noel's BADD Collective, I have found a new community and learned how to lead, communicate, and adapt. The entire day was just filled with so much excitement, joy, and support.”