KSC dancers land an opportunity of a lifetime

Getting paid to do what you love is a dream come true for most and for two Keene State College dancers, that dream has become a reality.

Senior Shawn Ahern, and junior Tom Sommo are two dancers among three hundred and fifty who auditioned for two available spots in the world famous dance company Pilobolus.
Four male dancers from Dartmouth, N.H. started the Pilobolus Dance Theater in 1971, and it is one of the most well-known dance companies in the business. According to Ahern. Pilobolus tours internationally and has been spotlighted in commercials and has been involved with the Tony Awards as well as the Oscars.

Ahern signed a three year contract to be one of seven dancers in the main tour company.
Ahern will be touring thirty weeks out of the year and rehearsing twenty weeks out of the year.

Sommo is more of a part-time member of the company who will be participating in a new project called “Shadowland,” a dance theater that tours internationally.

The two best friends joked about the situation during their audition, wondering what it would be like if they received the two open spots in the company.

According to Ahern and Sommo, they could not believe they were able to make it into the top two.

“We’re two hillbillies from New Hampshire and Maine,” joked Ahern.

Ahern said one of the directors of Pilobolus was shocked that two best friends from KSC made it into the top two during the audition, asking them “What’s in the water at Keene?”
“A lot of the dancers we were auditioning with were from Juilliard, New York University, the Boston Conservatory, and some professionals and some people were there from all over the world,” Ahern said.

As they made it through multiple rounds of the audition, it became more of a reality,” Ahern said.

Ahern grew up in dance studios, as his mom was a professional ballerina and now co-owns her own studio. After graduating from his mom’s dance studio, Ahern lived in Vienna, Austria for a year where he learned a lot about ballet, jazz, and tap, as well as break dancing on the streets of Vienna.

Sommo has a different dance background. He began his technique classes for dance  when he arrived at KSC.

He had been into break dancing in his senior year of high school, but did not have any formal training until he came here.

Ahern spoke about the stigma about dancing as a career, and how people do not believe that a dancer could ever make a living professionally in the dance world.
“Now we’re both going to be working professionally, making a living at what we love to do. It’s quite literally a dream come true,” Ahern said.

Sommo agreed, and said while not everyone understands his passion, it remains worthwhile. “It’s a dream for me. My parents don’t necessarily understand dance as a living, but now they do, now that there’s a paycheck,” he joked. “It’s difficult to have those conversations.”

“Even coming from a family of artists  and dancers, there’s still always this question of ‘Well, is this what you really want to do?’” Ahern said. “I think there is something to be said about loving what you do every day as opposed to saving up money and going on a vacation to escape from your life.”

Both Ahern and Sommo said their families are extremely supportive of them.
“I have very supportive sisters,” Sommo said, who has five older sisters. “They’ve all followed their dreams and that is an inspiration to me.”

The faculty at KSC has also had a huge impact on the two best friends.
“The faculty in the dance department has had an incredible influence on my decisions to become a dancer,” Sommo said.

Marcia Murdock, professor of dance and theater at KSC, said Sommo and Ahern are incredible talents with exciting energy. She said they both have an inherent understanding of movement.

“Sommo has learned how to shape his natural intuitive dance talent,” Murdock said.
“Ahern has developed his already strong training at Keene and has developed as an artist,” Murdock continued.

As their mentor, Murdock said she tries to recognize their strengths and encourage development. According to Murdock, both dancers welcome risks and take challenges and the fact that they were recognized and chosen to be in Pilobolus at such a young age is a wonderful gift.

William Seigh, professor of dance and theater, as well as Ahern and Sommo’s advisor, agreed that these dancers are exceptional.

“It is unheard of for dancers to be recognized as they have,” Seigh said.

He said that it is a joy working with the two of them, and he said that he knows it is an ideal, wonderful realization of a dream for the two dancers.

“They are starting work just like someone graduating and getting their dream job right out of college,” Seigh said. “We believe in them.”

Senior Angie Hartley auditioned with both Ahern and Sommo for Pilobolus and knows first hand how skilled the two are.

“They are both just really talented people, really artistically driven. Shawn is a really gifted choreographer and performer. Tom is one of the most imaginative people I’ve ever met,” she said. Hartley said she loves working with them. She said Ahern is really detail oriented and Sommo is really fun and takes a lot of risks. “The audition was really positive and affirmation that we’re talented people,” Hartley said.

Ahern and Sommo agreed that the idea of the “starving artist” is not necessarily true, but they have faced obstacles to get where they are today.

“I think facing myself, figuring out who I was, was the biggest challenge,” Sommo said.
“Growing up in a rural, blue collar, working class part of society, dance wasn’t always an acceptable choice professionally or as a hobby for a young man,” Ahern said.

He recalled the time in high school when he was actually beaten up by lacrosse players for being a male dancer.

“It’s unfortunate, but these are the things that you learn from and shape who you are as a person. Right now, I just signed a contract with a wonderful company and I’m going to be doing what I love to do,” Ahern said.

Whitney Cyr can be reached at wcyr@keeneequinox.com