Stories

SCU senior Mia Kanter explores the topic of burnout through dance

By Shantala Jennings ’27

A double major in Theatre Arts with a Dance emphasis and French & Francophone Studies, Mia Kanter '24 intends to use her knowledge to explore new cultures and societies. She arrived at Santa Clara University as a Dance major, something she has had a lifelong love for. As she took courses during her first two years, she decided to also pursue her newfound interest in language studies and declared her second major.

During her time at SCU, Kanter has been involved with various community projects. Earlier this year, she choreographed Chicago the Musical, teen edition at Bellarmine College Prep, just down the road from SCU’s campus.

"Mia is very valuable to the department,” says Karyn Connell, a lecturer in the Theatre and Dance Department. “Her choreography is exemplary and she always treats others with respect. Mia is very passionate about her art.”

After graduation she plans to pursue a career in dance in New York City. Learn more about her senior capstone project, favorite classes, and advice for fellow broncos in a Q&A!

What is your Capstone Project and why did you choose that topic? What impacts do you want your project to have on the SCU community and others?

My capstone project is my senior dance recital which is a 30 minute show that is directed, designed, and choreographed by myself. During my time at Santa Clara, I have spent a lot of time working on narrative based projects. Having to perform various stories has left me with feelings of burnout and fatigue. For my project I decided to create a dance recital with no theme. This will give me the freedom to dance and reignite the initial passion I found in movement. It is my hope that the SCU community finds comfort in the idea that it’s okay to feel fatigued and burnout from your passion and can hopefully find inspiration from the piece to reignite their passion through what feels right for them.

Which course do you believe had the most impact on you and your perspective on different topics?

I think Ethics and Adulthood had the largest impact on me and my perspectives on life-altering decisions. I hadn’t taken a philosophy class at SCU before, and I really enjoyed everything Professor Kulp spoke about! I learned a lot in that course that I will use later in my adult life.

What advice do you have for incoming first years?

Don’t be afraid to experience new things on campus. I wish I would have taken advantage of more opportunities on campus, this would have given me the opportunity to meet new people and explore different interests.

What memory from SCU resonates with you and why?

Last year I got to live in a Neighborhood Unit on Bellomy Street and my roommate and I would “people watch” from our porch! It was honestly really fun to see all of the diversity of student life that buzzes on one street! It also felt really nostalgic in the sense that many of the people passing through reminded us of ourselves in our earlier years as SCU students.