The Ripple Effect
- stephanierp4
- Apr 19
- 2 min read
I often talk to my students about the ripple effect.
Every action we put into the world creates one—positive or negative. The small things matter, of course, but it’s the larger, long-term commitments we make that send waves outward, like circles on the surface of a river, they continue… long after we’ve stepped away.
The goal? Create as wide and as positive a ripple as you can.
Today, I had the privilege of visiting the campus of Indiana University to celebrate the senior performance of Epic graduate Ellie Griffin, who performed with the student-driven dance company In Motion.
The performance was stunning—a true celebration of students, who performed, choreographed, marketed and directed. These dancers devote countless hours to their craft, not for a grade or a requirement, but simply for the love of dance.
Each brought something different to the stage—jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and tap. Some pieces explored connection and community. Others were simply joyful expressions of movement and athleticism. Every dance wove together the strengths of individual performers into something larger—a tapestry of honest, living art.
Because that is what dance is, at its core: an expression of what it means to be alive in a human body.
These students, who are not dance majors, danced purely out of passion and commitment, and they have built something extraordinary. Over Ellie’s four years, In Motion doubled in size, outgrew its original performance space, and ultimately earned the opportunity to perform in the beautiful Indiana University Auditorium.
Toward the end of the performance, the announcer introduced the final piece, centered on the very idea of the ripple effect and the impact we leave on the world.
And I knew.
Before they even said her name, I knew Ellie would be one of the choreographers behind it. Because I know her heart.
The piece was beautiful.
And as I sat in the audience - not as a teacher giving corrections, not as a director organizing the next move, but simply an observer - I saw the ripple.
I watched it move forward, as it does, through the people we’ve poured our love into, the spaces we’ve helped shape, and the courage we’ve encouraged in others.
The ripple moves on and on.
