Emory Dance Company Spring 2015: Inside the Choreographer's Mind

Ah, it's that time of year again. The midterms are flowing, dreams of Spring Break are soon to become reality, and the nine students of the Choreography II class are composing relentlessly as they prepare for the Emory Dance Company Spring Concert! 

We're halfway through the semester and the choreographers are well into their creative processes. Over the next few weeks they will share with us the challenges and rewards of making a new work, as well as their inspirations and aspirations for their pieces.

Let's find out what our first student-choreographer has been up to in the studio!

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Mary Rose Branch

Senior

NBB Major, Dance & Movement Studies Minor

My piece this spring consists of four separate duets. I was originally inspired by the idea of physical and psychological distance versus connection. Though I can’t say for sure whether this idea will eventually evolve into something else, I am working with an unbelievably talented and creative cast of dancers. I am excited to see where the relationships they develop while working with each other through manipulating various phrases of movement will take the piece. 

I consider myself an experimentalist and I like to approach my work with an open-mind, and try not to wed myself to any ideas or concepts right off the bat. I think that allowing the piece to evolve and go in unexpected directions is one of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of choreographing. My first time choreographing last spring, I was more anxious about trying to find a meaning instead of giving the work time to develop on its own. This time around, I feel much more at ease and confident that everything will fall into place and all come together in the end.
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Don't miss the Emory Dance Company Spring Concert! Click here for more details. For more information on the Emory Dance Program, please go to our website or check out our Facebook page.