Alumni Feature: Enver Ramadani ’21

To end our 2022 Alumni Feature series, we talked to Enver Ramadani ‘21. During his time at Princeton, Enver contributed to BodyHype as Artistic Director, Vice President, Production Manager and Web and Tech Chair, and still continues to find ways to stay connected to the BodyHype through choreographing pieces, flying over to support our bi-annual shows and staying in contact with the fam. At his core, Enver is a creative and hopes to bring this love for creative collaboration in his artwork, career and beyond.

Continue reading to learn more about Enver’s experience being in BH leadership, how the company shaped his time at Princeton and understanding of what it meant to be a leader, and how he stays connected to the Red Fam.

Introduce yourself! (Where are you from? What did you major in at Princeton & what communities were you a part of? What do you do now? What do you like to do in your free time? Any fun facts about yourself?)

Hi everyone — Enver here! I graduated from Princeton last year, so suffice it to say I’m still adjusting to adulthood a bit. Im originally from Brooklyn, NY though now I’m living in San Francisco, CA! I currently work at Neo, a startup accelerator and venture fund dedicated to emboldening young technical talent to become the tech leaders of tomorrow. I do operations, which mostly just means I like to wear a lot of hats. While at Princeton, I studied public policy with a focus on counterterrorism and minored in dance. I was involved with a few student groups on campus across the business, design, and arts spaces, but if I had to sum up my entire Princeton experience in one word, it would be “BodyHype.” On my free time now, I dance with a competition and performance team in Oakland, work on side projects (mostly involving dance), and take classes in whatever thing is piquing my interest at the moment!

If I had to sum up my entire Princeton experience in one word, it would be “BodyHype.

When and why did you join Bodyhype? If you had a leadership role in the company, what was it and how was it a fulfilling role for you?

I joined BodyHype my freshman year. I’d known about it since I was in high school because a few of the upperclassmen I knew ended up at Princeton and, coincidentally, ended up in BodyHype. I didn’t really grow up with a super technical background in dance, so between companies like BodyHype and programs offered by the dance department, it felt like the world was finally my oyster. I started off as a Production Manager and then Web and Tech Chair before I moved into more core roles like Vice President and Artistic Director. Being Artistic Director of BodyHype is probably one of the experiences I’ll forever hold near and dear to my heart. My role started just two months before COVID hit, so everyone was crushed in their own way. Directing a student group that excelled at live performance through the worst of COVID and remote life was one of the most challenging but exhilarating and motivating experiences I’ve ever had. Justifiably, I don’t think anyone was expecting students to do more than the bare minimum during this time. That said, I think it says multitudes about BodyHype and the community it fosters that we were one of the only student groups that were eager to make virtual performances happen. I don’t think I’ll ever forget how special BodyHype’s collective dedication during that time felt to me.

What are you passionate about? What gets you excited to wake up in the morning?

I’m passionate about collaborating with creative and talented people to create cool things — and I wouldn’t say this is exclusive to art, though that’s been more my speed courtesy of BodyHype. I’m not sure what the long term vessel for pursuing that passion looks like yet, but we’re figuring it out :)

Has your time in the company informed your personal and professional journey?

I can say, pretty unequivocally, that I would not be the person I am without BodyHype. BodyHype — the people in it, the art we create, the community it fosters, the hard lessons it teaches you — is one of those unique spaces that push you to be a better person, to think more creatively, to take risks. If it weren’t for my mentors and friends in BodyHype and the opportunities it gave me, I don’t think I would have been as willing to create the art I’m creating now. It’s scary and it’s hard, but the confidence to take creative risks is something I accredit entirely to my time with BodyHype.

the people in it, the art we create, the community it fosters, the hard lessons it teaches you — is one of those unique spaces that push you to be a better person, to think more creatively, to take risks.

How is the company different from other clubs on Princeton’s campus?

If you want to learn how to be a well-rounded individual, join BodyHype. BodyHype didn’t only introduce me to new styles of dance. It introduced me to different life perspectives. It taught me that being a good leader goes beyond vision, and is more about actively listening to the people you’re leading and making the changes they want. It exposed me to histories of dance styles that I would have been so ignorant to otherwise. It taught me what it means to show up for community and what it means to show up for your friends. Some of these were hard lessons to learn and some of them came very naturally. All of them, though, were incredibly formative in how I approach many parts of my professional and personal life. It’s very rare that you get all of these things from one student group. The family and fun that comes with it is the cherry on top.

What is your favorite memory of being in BodyHype? 

Watching Ace in person and feeling a sense of pride on behalf of the current company. The BodyHype family has always cared about doing what we do well. It was awesome seeing that the company didn’t lose a single bit of momentum, despite coming back to a really new environment post-remote learning. 

IF YOU COULD USE 3 WORDS TO DESCRIBE BODYHYPE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

My FOREVER FAMILY

How are you still involved in the BodyHype community/family? 

I actually co-choreographed “femme fatale” with two of my closest friends from BodyHype, Yolore Airewele ’21 and Micaela Mongelli ’20 — who were the two ADs that preceded me. That whole experience was really special. I got to collaborate with my friends, who were also two of the women who motivated me to become a better dancer and choreographer (more than they probably know). I got to meet and teach the newbs! And I got to spend some time with people who I really missed sharing studio space with. BodyHype will also always be my first stop when it comes to any creative project I wanna do. Yolore was the star of my first independent dance video, and Kirsten filmed/edited it. I’m excited to keep working with members of the BodyHype family for as long as I can, honestly. 

Beyond that, the friends I made through BodyHype are still my closest friends. These are the people I hang out with when I’m back in NYC. They’re the friends I talk about my dreams with. They’re the friends that are gonna be at my wedding (if I can manage to get cuffed that is). BodyHype will always be a part of my life simply by virtue of my best friends being people I met at pickups my freshman year.