Students bring the new Hop to life in its first weeks
Photo by Chris Turner
Walking across the Green after sunset, it is difficult to miss the newly transformed Hop. It glows with a constant stream of light through its tall, continuous glass windows. Compared to the structure's state for around the past two years—an active construction site—the difference is stark. In its first few weeks being open to students, the Hop is buzzing with new life and opportunities for artists and non-artists alike.
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While renovations continued to wrap up, more and more of the arts programs at Dartmouth returned to the Hop. It has already hosted the Telluride Film Festival and presented Touki Delphine's installation Firebird, and both the Byrne Family Jewelry Studio and the Ceramics Studio are open for students. This past weekend, the Hop put on the Dartmouth Arts Weekend Celebration—an event that featured a variety of speakers (including alums such as Mindy Kaling '01 and Rachel Dratch '88), open houses, dance lessons, film screenings and other festivities highlighting different aspects of the arts. World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed for students, and participated in We Are Water: A Northeast Celebration, a commemoration, honoring and discussion of humans' relationships with the water around us and each other. Before all that, students got the opportunity to make the Hop their creative playground as they started classes, rehearsals, performed or just hung out in the new spaces.
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The Top of the Hop has been the social hub in the building, hosting student performances each week on different days each week. These include DJ sets, poetry readings and musical performances, alongside free drinks from 5-7 pm. However, students can also use the space to study and gather, even without a scheduled event. For Patrick Balbo '28, majoring in theater, this new selection of activities is a positive prospect.
"I see so many more opportunities that I want to take advantage of, like the special guests and talks," Balbo said. "I have my tickets already for a lot of those events."
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On a more day-to-day basis, both individual students and different groups—such as dance troupes, theater clubs and the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra (DSO)—are utilizing the Hop's new practice rooms, including the Hodgson Family Dance Studio and the Jack 1953 and Mac 2011 Morris Recital Hall.
During the building's remodeling, these groups practiced in a variety of temporary locations. Some students expressed excitement about being able to practice in newly renovated spaces built explicitly for their area of artistic interest. Senior Tyler Grublich '26, who is double-majoring in Music and Biomedical Engineering and a member of DSO, described how, because the orchestra had been practicing in Rollins Chapel, they could not accommodate as many instruments or have as many attendees at their shows. The ability to practice and perform in a recital hall built specifically for musicians was exciting.
"I guess, at the beginning of September, it was kind of a return to me being super excited about music in the same way that I felt after my first ever concert in the old Hop," Grublich said.
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Some students are delighted at the practicality and quality of the new Hop's facilities. Mary Grace Altizer '26, a member of the Ujima dance troupe majoring in Psychology and double minoring in Theater and Education, stated how it's been "really nice" to have a "new, beautiful dance studio." Although some do not enjoy the more modern aesthetic of the Hop post-renovation, others find it "cool," as Grublich does. Grublich also described how there are still adjustments being made to the "paneling of the [recital hall]" in order to create the best acoustics for the group.
"I think we're still figuring out what works for us when we're rehearsing, but it's just, overall, a really cool room," Grublich said.
For some, the new Hop serves as a broader representation of the school's investment in the arts. Balbo described how he felt as though the building "really steps up their game." The building "makes [him] proud" to attend Dartmouth as a student involved in the arts. Ultimately, the Hop's opening has offered students a variety of new opportunities. As the building continues to be unveiled, it is up to each student to make it their own.