Alumni Feature:
Serena Lu ‘20
TO KICKSTART OUT ALUMNI FEATURE SERIES, WE BEGIN BY TALKING TO SERENA LU (CLASS OF 2020) WHO JOINED BODYHYPE IN SOPHMORE YEAR. SERENA DOES IT ALL - SHE WORKS AT THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, IS A COMPANY ARTIST AT MOVEMENT HEADQUARTERS, AN ACTOR, AND A MEMBER OF THE US RHYTHMIC NATIONAL TEAM.
To hear about how BodyHype shaped Serena’s path to working towards a career in the arts, as well as her favorite experiences in the company, continue reading!
Introduce yourself!
I grew up in Minnesota and moved to New York in 7th grade to train with a renowned coach and team for rhythmic gymnastics. I continued to train in New York during my Freshman year at Princeton, commuting back and forth between campus and training. I ended up majoring in Psychology with certificates in Cognitive Sciences and Dance, and was very close to the community in both those Departments. While at Princeton in addition to BodyHype, I was a part of Triple 8, PUB, Tiger Inn, and Theta.
Currently, I am involved in a couple things; I work at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, and am a company artist with a contemporary ballet company in NY called Movement Headquarters. I am also an actor, and made a comeback to elite rhythmic gymnastics this year after retiring 5 years ago. Beyond being a part of the Rhythmic National Team, I also serve a number of Athlete Representative roles with USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which has allowed me the opportunity to connect with the athletes and advocate for bettering the experience in all different aspects for them.
In my free time, I love writing and hope to one day develop my own screenplays and projects. I also enjoy playing the piano, knitting, baking, and painting / drawing.
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 in my Sophomore year almost immediately after I stopped training in rhythmic gymnastics. At the time, I actually didn’t know about the company and only learned about BH through people I met at other auditions. Dance at Princeton was a completely new environment for me to enter and I was very unsure what to expect. As someone who was scared of going into something unfamiliar, meeting the members of BodyHype gave me a sense of community that I hadn’t really felt before and realized how much I wanted. The level of artistry and collaboration was inspiring from such young people as well. The people I met in this company have become so integral to my life beyond school.
I was co-Social Chair during my time with the company. Frankly, it was a challenge for me, having had very little prior experience being involved with a large community of diverse interests. I learned a lot from that role; it was fulfilling to be able to work with others in the company to always strive to create a more inclusive space and also expand ways we can integrate with the wider campus community and beyond.
“The common thread between the various interests I dedicate my time to is the love for creation and performance.”
What are you passionate about? What gets you excited to wake up in the morning?
I think I tend to lean into my passions even if they may seem risky; it has taken me a while to reconcile my relationship between passion and duty. The common thread between the various interests I dedicate my time to is the love for creation and performance. There is something really special to me in the ability to tell and share a story no matter what kind of medium you portray it through. Whether it is through the life of a scene for film or the artistry in a rhythmic gymnastics routine, the presentation of something larger and beyond what I can be just as a singular individual makes it all worthwhile.
Has your time in the company informed your personal and professional journey?
Professionally, being in BH has definitely set me on the track to wanting and working towards a career in the arts. Observing and learning from all the unfettered creativity has really provided an invaluable foundation. The company was always so encouraging in how we could go further in our visions and the scope of what we could do. That has also wildly affected my personal journey and the reformation of my identity, especially during a time when I was coming out of a sport and was feeling really lost.
Now that I have also returned to the sport, having built such a strong sense of what I want to do and be through BH has transformed my experience as an athlete. My worth is no longer tied to just my performance and experiences as an athlete, but that there is so much more to who I am. I also realized how differently I approach the composition of a routine now, after having the experience of choreographing with the company. There is so much more intentionality in the entire process. BH taught me what can go into a choreographing process, but more importantly, what message you put out there with your pieces and that responsibility we have as artists. I owe that new perspective largely to my time with the company.
“The members of BodyHype all shared a similar love and care for the company and for me, that foundation made it a community unlike others on campus.”
How is the company different from other clubs on Princeton’s campus?
The people really set it apart in my perspective. I was constantly in awe of the members of the company, and they were also some of my closest friends too. But it definitely went through so many different phases and growth during my time there, and there were many times that were not easy; but the people were always willing to work through the tough decisions and move towards making changes. The members of BodyHype all shared a similar love and care for the company and for me, that foundation made it a community unlike others on campus.
What is your favorite memory of being in BodyHype?
There are 2 that I look back on often from my time in BH; the lead up to and my first tech week is really special to me. There was so much going on between studying for finals and the 10+ hour rehearsal days, but at the end of it, we had a whole show done. I was filled with so much excitement and adrenaline that I was a part of that process, and it was an entirely new experience for me that I wanted more of. Prior to that moment, I had never really known what it would feel like to just perform; while rhythmic routines include a large artistry component, the pureness of the performance was not always the aspect I could focus on. Preparing for that first show really brought the joy and love for expressivity to the forefront. I was staying with another BH member the week prior to that, and we were just so eager and tingly for our first show that we were going over the choreography all throughout winter break.
The other memory was getting to create a piece with a close friend in the company during my final year. It was a culmination of a very long journey to get there. I finally had come to a place where I realized the progress in my dancing and getting to explore a creative process with a person I love and respect so much was very special. While we never performed it on stage, it remains one of the choreographic processes that I am most proud of.
“Innovative, bold, and devoted”
How are you still involved in the BodyHype community/family?
The people you meet through the company stay beyond your time at school- as friends, co-creators, sources of inspiration. And that goes into all parts of my life whether it has been in a social, creative, or professional context. And of course, the alumni at the time when I was dancing at school really showed me the importance of their support. I hope to continue doing that for the current members of the company.