Jessica Hao ’19: “When I was only a few years old I would be dancing to Michael Jackson and trying to imitate him,” explained Brian Seam ‘16, co-captain of the Episcopal Dance team. Many of Seam’s skills have been self-taught. He explained, “The earliest type of actual dance class I had was winter dance in sixth grade. Before that it was just like in my room.”
“I feel like dancing gives me a release or outlet to anything I’m feeling. If I’m super happy or just really frustrated and annoyed, I can just dance and it will help release my excitement or clear my thoughts.” He also stated, “I’ve always just liked moving to the music even if it’s just jumping around.”
Throughout Seam’s dancing career, hip hop has been his main focus and passion. Nevertheless, he has had experiences with various dance types while participating in the Episcopal dance team, such as ballet, jazz, and modern.
Seam’s experience with dance hasn’t been as structured as that of others, as he remarked, “I hadn’t actually started doing any dance outside of school until this year. During the summer I started going to Millennium Dance Complex in Philadelphia. I went once every one or two weeks so I could really improve on my technique. It’s like a chain/franchise of the main or original MDC in Los Angeles, which has sick class videos all over YouTube.” Seam continued to explain, “I just follow the social medias of the choreographers/teachers I met and try to go to classes they have every once in awhile in different places. Sometimes I even just watch a dance tutorial on youtube to some choreography I really like and just learn it that way, but a class is definitely more fun and a better way to improve.”
When asked what he enjoys about being a co-captain of the dance team, Seam replied, “I’m super excited to be a co-captain of course! I love how I can be a big representative of the team and EA Dance in general. And I’m looking forward to help make the team very fun, unified, and passionate about dance.”
Head Dance Coach, Cara Lavallee, explained that Seam’s leadership traits make him the ideal captain. Lavallee expressed, “Brian is always respectful and kind. As a dancer, he is self-assured and prepared in rehearsals.” To describe Seam in three words, Lavallee said, “Bright–Brian is soft-spoken but behind that quiet demeanor is a fiercely intelligent individual, Determined– Undeniably Brian works hard, especially when he is passionate about something, and Stylish– I mean, have you seen him? He has a great collection of coats, among other items.” Lavallee concluded with: “As a choreographer, Brian raises the caliber of our program, and over the past few years, I have seen him grow into a confident, sophisticated performer.”
Leah Marchant ‘16, the other co-captain of the EA Dance crew, said that Seam is an inspiration for her in dance. Marchant said, “I feel extremely lucky to be a captain along with Brian. Brian is dedicated to our team and to the entire art of dance. He works extremely hard in the studio, and has proved that hard work pays off. In the past two years, he has grown into one of the best hip hop dancers I have ever seen.” She went on to say, “I feel very lucky to share the stage with him. His love for dance inspires me to work harder. He is a great example for the rest of the Episcopal Academy Dance Team. He is extremely creative and intelligent as a choreographer. He appreciates the work of today’s best dancers and choreographers…His choreography is an expression of his voice and everything he is.”