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Javin Catherine Hammond prides herself in the fact that take whatever she is given and make something special out of it.
And that is what the Putnam native is planning to do at Putnam Science Academy as the school’s new director of Dance.
“We’re here and we’re going to build,” she said. “You have to start somewhere. It’s going to have to evolve. The goal is to get some kids who want to go on to dance either professionally or in college, or just want a good education and want to continue dancing during the day and be part of a great team.
“I don’t know how it’s going to evolve but I know there is a lot of opportunity to do different things here and in the world of dance. And I am excited about that.”
Hammond — whose extensive resume includes performance, choreography, competition judging, and education — will teach dance classes at the school and is looking to bring in dancers to form a team. The construction of an on-campus dance studio is in the final stages.
“Putnam Science is known for having these wonderful and elite athletic programs,” she said, “and these athletes can do a basic dance class, at the very least, for an Arts credit. I have awareness of sports science and yoga and stretching, so none of those things can hurt.
“It would be really cool to start a dance team. Can I just walk in and say ‘OK, you dance, you dance, you dance’? No. We probably don’t have that. So, I’m going to have to actively find dancers who want a private-school education but also are interested in going to the next step, whether it’s a college dance program or whatever the case may be.”
And that especially is where Hammond, a former member of the Connecticut Sun dance team and cruise ship dancer, wants to help. She knew early on in her high-school years that she wanted to get into some kind of dance major, but she was the only one there taking that path and her guidance counselors were unequipped to really help her.
“It’s different than guiding a student through the regular admissions process,” said Hammond, who also owns her own studio (Taylor Studios in Danielson) and is the assistant director at another (Cathy Taylor School of Dance in Auburn, Mass., where she started training when she was 3 years old). “But now I have helped my students through that. I have experience sending kids the way they want to go.
“Some dancers right out of high school just want to go and audition, and I know the avenues and what would be a good way to start for each dancer once I work with them. I have connections in colleges. It’s not the end-all-be-all, but it’s to say maybe they’re a good fit for commercial dancing and L.A., or they’re more of theater because they can sing and should go more the New York route. That’s the guidance I wish I had, and that I want to give to young dancers.”
Hammond’s former students have been New England Patriots cheerleaders, Boston Celtics dancers, worked on cruise ships and for professional dance companies and theaters around the world. She also stressed that this endeavor is not an attempt to take dance students away from their studios, but rather an opportunity for them to have a private-school experience and supplement their dancing during the day, then continue at their regular studios in the evening.
Hammond, a mother of three young boys, envisions introductory classes in which students learn the fundamentals of ballet, jazz, and modern dance, and also broader dance-movement classes. And as the program builds, opportunities for specific trainings will become available.
The dance team would do community appearances, perform at PSA basketball games, and eventually go to regional and national competitions. “What I’m going to be doing here is what I’ve been doing for years,” said Hammond, who added she intends to host open houses and offer free master classes in the school’s new studio. “It’s just an extension of all the other dance things that I do and love.”
By Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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