Queer B/being: An Honors Thesis Concert by Ilo Elder

 On March 28 & 29 at 7:30pm, dance major Ilo Elder will present an Honors Thesis Concert entitled Queer B/being. This is a free event and registration is not required. Read below to learn about Ilo's research and creative process. 

Queer B/being is inspired by my research into the liberatory power of Afro-diasporic dance. It takes a deep dive into house dance foundational techniques, namely what I have identified as footwork, groove, rhythm, and freestyle. Similar to how phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics can coalesce to create complex messages, Queer B/being explores how these foundational techniques coalesce to create and recreate a complex being, a queer being. 

This piece has what I like to call a resistant undertone and cosmic overtone. I wanted to create a world where Black bodies can embellish in Black queer aesthetics such as unrepressed sensuality, transformative physicality, and moving from the inside out. The cosmos shines through the costumes, lighting, and soundscape, all inspired by my house club experiences in Chicago. I am very interested in how I can replicate the sensation of being in a trance that house dancers and club patrons tend to experience. 

Since my freshman year, I knew that I wanted to do an honors project; it was just a matter of what it would be about. Before my junior year, I had a revelatory experience at the Bates Dance Festival - my instructor, Duane Lee Holland Jr, sat us down and passionately expressed the importance of Black American Dance, including its perceived threat to Western oppression. As someone trained in multiple Afro-diasporic forms, I had never had someone blatantly point out its resistive power. It felt like a fire was lit within me from a place of pride and critical curiosity. My research narrowed to the technique of house dance and its implications on resistance to Western oppression.

My experience as a researcher and dancer has taught me that there is more beyond the concrete and tangible. There is so much in the imagined and sensational; it teaches us beyond what the former can name. In a world where the latter is continuously threatened, banned, and marginalized, the understanding and preservation of such practices are increasingly important.Thus, it must always be shared both in process with my cast and in witnessing through the audience. 

 

Thank you Ilo! Please join us on March 28 & 29 at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts for Queer B/being.

Emory Dance Company Choreographer: Julio Medina

 

The Fall 2024 Emory Dance Company Concert features new work by faculty members Julio Medina, George Staib, Lori Teague and guest artists Doug Varone and Danielle Swatzie. 

Read about faculty member Julio Medina's work and process below! 

As a cast, we are exploring themes of resilience, resistance, and restoration. In particular, we are responding to and taking inspiration from Angela Davis’ “Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric”.  

 

When collaborating with the dancers, I give various improvisational and choreographic tasks for creation, and then we edit. I am also very transparent with the ideas generating in my mind, so the dancers have context and a goal while they create. Sometimes they create individually, in duets, or trios. I’m working with a quartet, and it’s been a really fun and intimate creative process. 

 

I’d like for the audience to consider the term “immigrant”. I think the word itself, and the rhetoric around it, is very divisive, and supports a racist, hierarchical system that’s detrimental to our health and the advancement of the human race. I would like the audience to reconsider that word, how they use it, and how it can be used to dehumanize.  

Thank you Julio! Tickets for the Emory Dance Company Fall 2024 Concert are on sale now. Click here to purchase them now.

Students Reflect on Transformative Doug Varone and Dancers Residency

Doug Varone and Dancers Residency:

Emory Dance Students Reflect on Their Transformative Experience

This fall, the Emory Dance Program had the privilege of hosting Doug Varone and Dancers (DOVA) as a company in residence. Over the course of the residency, our students had the unique opportunity to work closely with DOVA, learning directly from the world-renowned choreographer Doug Varone and dancing alongside his company members. From open classes to live performances, students were fully immersed in the professional dance process, gaining first-hand insights of what a performance career can entail. 

Two dancers who participated in the residency shared their reflections on what this experience has meant for their artistic growth.

Student Vivian Corry shares:

"Our time working with DOVA really gave me insight into what a professional process looks like. I learned more about what goes into a show like this, both on the choreography side and the tech side. I learned more about keeping your body healthy and safe during a physically demanding process. I learned how to advocate for myself and communicate when I needed to modify things. Every part of the process was extremely enriching, and I feel immeasurably grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it."

"I truly believe that I grew as an artist from this experience. It challenged me to approach movement differently, to pick up corrections quickly, and to collaborate with new people."

Student Alice Stern shares:

"I feel what was most valuable part of this experience was being given direction and insight directly from Doug, and being able to learn about his process in choreographing, conceptualizing, and completing his works."

"This experience has greatly expanded my modern dance vocabulary and will influence my creativity in dance as well as my understanding of movement and weight."

The residency has left a lasting impact on our students, helping them grow as artists and future professionals. We’re excited to see how these experiences continue to shape their artistic journeys.

Learn more about Doug Varone and Dancers. 

Emory Dance Company Choreographer: George Staib

 

The Fall 2024 Emory Dance Company Concert features new work by faculty members Julio Medina, George Staib, Lori Teague and guest artists Doug Varone and Danielle Swatzie. 

Read about faculty member George Staib's work and process below! 

I am working with the idea of unfulfilled expectations/hopes/dreams - an examination of the way some ideas never truly come into fruition for whatever reason. This thematic content will be revealed through dynamic partnering and multiple trios, moments that almost crystalize, along with set pieces: 10-12 foot flower stalks, representing potential – buds that never open. Still these stalks represent resilience in that they cannot be knocked down. The work moves from what is an elegant and dreamy beginning, into a tumultuous and chaotic conclusion. 

 

I am hoping to create an atmosphere of longing, perhaps even a connection to moving on, moving forward, despite the sadness that comes with missing out on something we feel was meant for us. The dancers are integral to the development of the work. Together we unearth the vocabulary, collaborate on partnering ideas, and relay feedback to one another.

 

We often devote a lot of time considering the “woulda, shoulda, coulda” elements in our lives. And truly – nothing can be done about scenarios that live(d) in the past. With that, perhaps visceral response to this highly athletic work will itself be a journey into the places where impulses live. If in the end, it is difficult to articulate what the work meant to an audience member, and they are left with images they found provocative, then we have done our jobs. 

Thank you George! Tickets for the Emory Dance Company Fall 2024 Concert are on sale now. Click here to purchase them now.

Emory Dance Company Choreographer: Lori Teague

 

The Fall 2024 Emory Dance Company Concert features new work by faculty members Julio Medina, George Staib, Lori Teague and guest artists Doug Varone and Danielle Swatzie. 

Read about faculty member Lori Teague's work and process below! 

I am working on a piece about the challenges we experience trying to communicate (our feelings, our belief systems, our intent). As an entry point, we have discussed political differences in our family and our friend circles as a cast.  I am also exploring resiliency as a method of adapting to differences and how we listen to each other. I am trying to discover new ways of expressing this in dance.

Working in Duet form, the dance becomes a conversation. I hope to discover ways of building trust that strengthens how we listen. I hope to discover ways that “big differences” coexist in an environment of respect. I plan to build this conversation with the audience by stepping out of duet form. 

Thank you Lori! Tickets for the Emory Dance Company Fall 2024 Concert are on sale now. Click here to purchase them now.

Emory Dance Company Choreographer: Danielle Swatzie

Photo by Shoccara Marcus

The Fall 2024 Emory Dance Company Concert features new work by faculty members Julio Medina, George Staib, Lori Teague and guest artists Doug Varone and Danielle Swatzie. 

Read about guest artist Danielle Swatzie's work and process below! 

In this work, I'm exploring the intersection of movement and improvisational jazz, using abstract scores to guide both narrative and physical expression. I want to create a space where the music and movement flow together organically, inviting play, joy, and spontaneity. My aim is to let the choreography tell a story while being in constant conversation with the music, allowing both to drive the emotional and creative journey. 

My goal is to challenge and dismantle expectations. Right now, I'm drawn to asymmetry and controlled chaos, and I want to lean into that, allowing the work to stretch beyond boundaries and invite new possibilities. 

Collaboration is central to my creative process. We’ve started by creating solo scores, allowing the dancers to explore different compositional techniques, which helps reveal their individual strengths and potential. I also incorporate journal prompts to keep them emotionally connected to the work, deepening their engagement. As we explore character development, these collaborative elements shape the tone and world of the piece, laying a strong foundation for the final work. 

Thank you Danielle! Tickets for the Emory Dance Company Fall 2024 Concert are on sale now. Click here to purchase them now.

Summer Scholarship Recipient: Emma MacManus at staibdance in Italy

 Dance major Emma Macmanus received a Sally A. Radell Friends of Dance Scholarship to attend the staibdance Summer Intensive in Italy this past summer. Read on for a reflection of her experience. 

This summer, I attended the staibdance summer intensive in Sorrento, Italy with Emory faculty member Professor George Staib. The experience was equal parts inspiring and challenging, starting from the moment I stepped off my flight into Naples. Throughout this program, I was able to try various styles of movement I had never before trained in.

My favorite class was taught by Anna Bracewell, a staibdance dancer who teaches contemporary in Atlanta. Anna took a more non-traditional approach to movement classes. One exercise Anna had us do was write in a journal driven by a train of thought. This “word vomit” (for lack of a better phrase) later translated into movement. When prompted to exist in a mindset where thoughts existed and transitioned into each other in the absence of judgment, I was more readily able to move and create based on feeling over thought. 

The instructors themselves took advantage of the opportunities to learn from the other instructors of the program, creating an environment where dance transcends time, experience, and age. This example set forth by the instructors exemplified the collective nature of the company George has cultivated. The Italian culture of pleasure, indulgence, and hospitality also facilitated my movement, an aspect of the intensive I was not initially expecting. It was charming to interact with locals who were excited to watch the attendees dance at the conclusion of the intensive, without really relating to us on a personal or cultural basis. 

One evening at a local bar and restaurant, I met a dad and his young daughter. We exchanged small talk, and I invited them to our final performance. After the show, I was greeted by the daughter with roses, who spoke little English but was able to tell me how much she enjoyed the show. 

Movement is a universal language, encouraging connection in the absence of communication. Movement is joyous even in the moments when it is not intended to be, for the mere experience of feeling is something to celebrate. I am incredibly grateful for the ability to have been able to dance in such a beautiful space. I had never before been so quickly cracked wide open by a group of people, and the experience reminded me how much of a gift it is to move and feel.

Thank you for sharing this reflection Emma! Click here to learn more about The Friends of Dance at Emory.