Meet Enver Ramadani:

BodyHype’s Fall 2020 Artistic Director

By: Olivia Sakaguchi

With help from: Leah Smith

“Circumstances change, but your responsibility doesn’t. At the end of the day, your responsibility as a leader is to adapt to circumstances.”

A pair of black Doc Martens comes through the studio doors.  As dancers begin moving across the space, the black boots pace in the corner of the studio. With crossed arms and attentive eyes, Enver Ramadani, BodyHype’s current Artistic Director, starts rehearsal. 

“Dance was the first thing that taught me to fight for what I wanted.”

Coming into college, Enver knew he wanted to be a part of the Princeton dance community. He says, “Before I came to Princeton, I didn’t have any formal background in dance. My parents didn’t really support me dancing.” Eager to push past this challenge, Enver immersed himself in projects and performances soon after joining BodyHype. He danced in multiple pieces every semester. He choreographed pieces ranging from contemporary to heels. He collaborated with other members on summer publicity campaigns to build a distinctive brand for the company. And he edited an endless number of dance videos. Enver was always involved with producing a range of creative content for the company.

This past spring, Enver became the Artistic Director of BodyHype. Looking forward to a semester filled with performances, concept videos, and auditions, he quickly started working on his first project -- choreography pre-proposals. The new process gives prospective choreographers an opportunity to understand how their vision fits into the larger context of a show.

Before getting a chance to pursue his many other ideas, the in-person semester came to a rearing halt when COVID-19 threatened to spread across college campuses.

“The most rewarding thing about this semester has been understanding that I’m the right person for the job right now.”

Leading a company becomes significantly more complex when everything is shifted to an online platform. For a company which thrives on live performances and Saturday morning rehearsals, the transition was not simple. Yet, Enver has taken this time to regroup, reflect on the company’s mission, and increase BodyHype’s reach. Currently, he is working with many company members on an innovative, but confidential, virtual project. Together with the publicity team, BodyHype also wowed the audience during the first virtual TigerNight performance with a creative video. Enver was also quick to highlight the work Molly Gibbons (president) and Justice Mason (assistant artistic director) have done on an exciting new project. BodyHype hosted a series of workshops in partnership with Culture Shock Los Angeles with support from ODUS. Culture Shock LA is a “nonprofit Hip Hop dance organization dedicated to dance education, community empowerment, professional entertainment, and the preservation of Hip Hop culture.” The workshops explored a range of topics from Hip Hop history to implicit bias through a combination of dance and discussion.  

“BodyHype has been a life-changing community, a space I never really had before, and one that I couldn’t have even conjured up in my mind.”

Enver’s love for BodyHype is undeniable. “In no other dance company at Princeton will you find a group of people that care this much,” he says. He emphasizes how members of the company pour immense attention-to-detail into every project, and how BodyHype thrives because of the diverse set of skills within the company. 

“It is a space which sees your strengths for what they are, and honors them, and validates them, because everyone has something very special to bring to the table.”