Audrey Baran oral history interview, 2020 April 28

Description

Audrey Baran was an adjunct lecturer in UNC Charlotte's Department of Dance in April of 2019 when an active shooter took the lives of two students and injured four others. In the days following the April 30th tragedy, Ms. Baran held a yoga class in Plaza Midwood for her friends and students that included forty-nine sun salutations in honor of the victims. She choreographed a piece for the Department of Dance's 2019 fall concert entitled "Luck of the Young." The piece featured twelve students who were enrolled during the tragedy and centered on their experiences that day. The dance highlighted the reality of gun violence in America and the effect the tragedy had on the community as a whole. Ms. Baran reflects on the sense of unity and pride exhibited by students in the aftermath of the shooting, comparing that with her own undergraduate experience that lacked a prevalence of school spirit. She observed more connection between the arts community and UNCC in the wake of the tragedy and ends by discussing the stigma surrounding mental health and her hope that students feel supported.