Xan Burley and Alex Springer: make. destroy.

Raven Crosby, Office Assistant 

make. destroy. is the new piece that Donna and Marvin Schwartz Artists-in-Residence Xan Burley and Alex Springer set on the Emory Dance Company. This piece examines a long-form destruction as the genesis of movements both collective and individual. “From climate catastrophe to evolving pandemics, we continue to confront disaster in our radically changing world. What emerges from crumbling structures?”

Burley and Springer’s choreographic process is extremely collaborative and generated through both movement inquiry and deep group dialogue. “The dancers in our cast were vital contributors to the work’s gestation - their movement choices, thoughtful discoveries, and responses to our questions are the foundation that this work was built upon.” The piece itself is a structured work but contains improvised elements. “The majority of make. destroy. is improvised movement material that arises out of devised and meticulously developed scores, prompts, and events. The structure of the piece is very precise, as is the movement vocabulary, but the dancers are making different decisions each time they inhabit the work. Their power of choice influences what unfolds on the stage every night.” 

The inspirations that the duo have drawn from include Jeanine Durning, Chris Aiken, and Angie Hauser, as well as the dancers themselves. Their music choices range from sound scores from Anna Meredith’s driving 80’s pop-esque ballads to more experimental soundscapes by Langham Research Institute. “Playing with different music has been an exciting way to generate new scenarios and auralities for the dancers to work with and against. Together, the music and the dance form a relationship that thrives in difference and alignment.”

Since this is the first piece that Burley and Springer have created since the start of the pandemic, the duo wanted to create a work that centered on the liveness and embodiment of dance performance for the stage. “This piece would not be possible without the generosity, support, and creative prowess that each dancer manifests. And, as much as we and the dancers co-create make. destroy., the presence of a witnessing audience further choreographs the work.”

Lori Teague: Emory Dance Company Choreographer Fall 2021

Raven Crosby, Office Assistant 

Personal connections, discomfort, division, and harmony are elements that Lori Teague is exploring in her piece for the Emory Dance Company this fall. Teague is looking to explore a set of questions that relate to discomfort felt in bodies. “I continue to ask myself, 'how do I live in my body?' and 'how do I, or we, survive a moment?'” Teague states that these questions have personal answers and are serving as overarching questions for her cast to explore. “I am facilitating ways that we will create important connections to each other, and to the planet in the work.”

Teague’s choreographic process begins with developing a movement vocabulary with the cast in tandem with the themes that she is exploring. Working with her cast while following safety protocols due to the pandemic has shifted Teague’s choreographic ideas to be communicated in other creative ways. After a brief conversation early in the movement process about touch within the piece, Teague is letting the dancers make the decisions themselves and with their peers about how to explore movements. “I respect the boundaries and fears we all have right now.”

For this piece, technical elements are important in setting the tone. Teague is using the music that she selects to create an emotional, qualitative environment for the work. “This time I am exploring a score that is in contrast to the movement at times. How do we coexist with our environment right now? How do we engage within it? This reflects the challenges we are experiencing, but also the recuperative spaces in nature that allow us to rebound.” She is also collaborating with Greg Catellier, who is the lighting designer for the Emory Dance Program, to create a visual representation of space that communicates division and harmony.

Teague hopes her piece will communicate “the idea that we survive many moments because of our connections to each other. I am using the compositional device of cannon to communicate this empathy. Movement echoes from one body to another.”

Angela Harris: Emory Dance Company Choreographer Fall 2021

Raven Crosby, Office Assistant 

Emory Dance ballet instructor Angela Harris is creating a new work for the Emory Dance Company, which will be the first ballet piece that the Emory Dance Company has presented since 2015. Her neo-classical ballet features a strong cast of 16 dancers who are skilled in ballet movement. Working with such a large cast may appear physically difficult; however, Harris is working with her cast in small groups and teaching each different sections and variations.

Harris begins her choreographic process by selecting music before creating movement. “I am heavily influenced by musical choices. I usually start by listening to a lot of music and find the selections that move me. I also consider the style, feel, and intent of the piece I want to create, and start with finding a musical score that will be a match for the concept in my mind.” For this piece, she wants the dancers to be “moved” by the music and capture the spirit of the piano and the intricacies of the instrumentation. She decided on this concept after her first rehearsal where she noticed that the dancers fully embodied her music choices. “When I re-watched [a recording of] the piece and turned off the music, I could still hear the music through the dancers' movement. It was lovely. So, I decided to focus on embodying the music in this ballet.” 

When asked what the audience can expect to see, Harris stated, “I usually like to hear audiences' reaction before I tell them what I want them to feel or see. For this piece, there isn't really a deeper story. It's movement and music, and sometimes music and movement make us feel many different things.” With the diversity of dance genres presented in the Emory Dance Concert this fall, Harris feels that her ballet piece will fit right in. “I think diversity in dance styles always makes for an exciting performance. I don't think my piece will be out of place. On the contrary, I think that the performance will show the wide array of artists that make up the Emory Dance Company and Emory Dance faculty. It will be an exciting show!”

Julio Medina: Emory Dance Company Choreographer Fall 2021

Raven Crosby, Office Assistant 

Get ready to move in your seats and want to get up and dance during Julio Medina’s piece for the Emory Dance Company! Medina is choreographing a House dance that will showcase the infectious energy of this style and its music. For those who may be unfamiliar with House, a brief explanation from Medina along with a video of some of the movements is below.

“House is a dance that emerged from underground dance clubs in NYC and Chicago in the late 70s and 80s, primarily in African American/LGBTQ communities. Detroit also has a major influence on the music; House is the direct inheritor of disco music. The dance itself incorporates a lot of footwork from other dances (tap, jazz, salsa, breaking, hip-hop, ballet, to name a few), but at its core House is a dance that promotes self-expression, so essentially you can approach the dance in many ways.”

Medina has always wanted to set a house dance on students, and this will be the first time presenting house on the Emory Dance stage. His inspiration for this piece came from the footwork and energy of the music, which is an important component of house dance. “The relationship between the music and the dance is a call and response system, very similar to other street dances of the African diaspora. The music suggests movement, and the movement amplifies elements of the music.” Much of house dance is cyclical and features repetition which Medina feels makes this the perfect time for a house piece. “The current moment, or the world, feels extremely complex and uncertain right now. The repetitive beats of house are very comforting, and dancing for fun rather than abstract or intellectual investigation feels necessary right now.”

Bringing a street dance style to the concert stage has its challenges since house dance features a strong relationship between participants and observers, says Medina. He also feels that the ‘cypher’ and improvisational nature of the dance is difficult to present since the choreography is set for the stage. However, the high energy and expression of self in community will still be present in the piece. 

Creating a close-knit community among the dancers has not served as a challenge despite the nature of the pandemic. This is Medina’s second piece for the Emory Dance Company during the pandemic, so he is accustomed to the necessary safety protocols. During rehearsals the dancers keep their distance and movements with touch are not incorporated in the work, partly because of safety, but also because touch is not a common element in house dance. However, there is still a lot of collaboration among the cast and Medina to create movement. “I’m letting myself create in the moment, responding to the music in real time, and asking the dancers for input when I’m stuck. I’m sharing a lot of my house vernacular with them so they can take it and make it their own.”

 

Student Profile: Olivia Browne on "My First and Greatest Love"

By Raven Crosby, Office Assistant

In September 2021, Raven Crosby, Dance Program Office Assistant, held an interview with dance major Olivia Browne, a third-year student from Dallas, Texas. Read about her experience in the Emory Dance Program and passion for dance below.

What led you to pursue dance at the collegiate level? What led you to join the Emory Dance Program? Was there a specific experience or event?

Browne: Dance for me has always been the primary driver in how I see my life playing out, both defining and exciting me. I have always thought dance was worthy of high intellectual study and consideration and I feel like Emory Dance does a great job of truly investigating dance as a cultural and physical phenomenon.

What do you enjoy the most about being a part of the Emory Dance Program? 

Browne: I have always loved performing and being given the opportunity to perform and choreograph last semester was a highlight of my Emory Dance experience. I also love how the dance program at Emory does not foster this toxic and competitive environment that many other dance spaces partake in.

Why do you dance?

Browne: I dance because dance embodies so many things necessary for life, the rituals and practices, the expression and communication, the play and challenge. I used to worry about the realities of no longer being able to dance and I now know that dance will never leave me. Dance will always be my first and greatest love.

Which courses have had the greatest impact on your development as a dance artist? What did you discover about yourself in these courses?

Browne: Last semester, I took Ballet IV with Mara (Mandradjieff) and I had the epiphany that I no longer needed to use ballet as a tool for shame or punishment and that I could just revel in the beauty and joy of the movement. It really unlocked this burden that I had been carrying all throughout my training. I also grew a lot as a choreographer in Choreography II last semester with George (Staib), pushing through the challenges and insecurities of making work to have a truly rewarding process and product.

Is there any advice that you would you give to a prospective student? An undeclared first-year student?

Browne: Take movement improvisation! Moving your body outside of codified notions of dance is so much fun and taps into the essence of dance. Also, go see as many dance shows as possible.

Community Connection: Julie Baggenstoss and Her Impact on Flamenco in Atlanta

By Raven Crosby, Office Assistant 

Julie Baggenstoss is an arts educator and performer of 20 years who teaches flamenco for the Emory Dance Program. She also has her own production company, Berdolé; a non-profit, A Través; and recently has taken on the role of arts administrator. She has connected with the Atlanta community for ten years now through flamenco classes and performances, and shares some of her experiences below.

Origins of Flamenco in Atlanta

 

As a flamenco teacher, I changed the way that I instruct students about ten years ago, when I launched a cuadro class in Atlanta. Back then, we were a community of dancers who wanted to work with live musicians, but there weren't any in Atlanta who understood how to play or sing flamenco music. So, I started bringing in guest teachers who could instruct in guitar and singing, while I could still teach dance and explain to the groups of students how it all worked together. At its core, flamenco is an improvised art form, and rather than learning to recite pieces of music and choreographies, we truly want to learn the rules and stockpile vocabulary and phrasing that can be exchanged in a conversation between the musicians and the dancers. I knew in 2009 that it would take ten years to cultivate a musician base in Atlanta, as well as dancers who could work in that base. I am so happy to report that we have that base here now. While I no longer teach the cuadro class, I give private lessons focused on this element of flamenco. It is very exciting to watch students become practitioners of flamenco arts as they learn the rules of the road. Dancers have to become musicians, and musicians have to play and sing like they are dancing.

Company and Performance Events: Berdolé & A Través

 

Berdolé was created when I started to go on tour more as an artist and at the same time, I started to manage artists who were performing in and beyond metro Atlanta. Through this company, I have been able to take my arts integration practice throughout the Southeast. I have also staffed performances from New Orleans to New York and created a U.S. tour for an important Spanish artist whose methodology I support immensely. Most importantly, prior to the pandemic, this company produced six years of sold-out performances throughout Georgia and permitted Spanish artists and local artists to perform together. This rare opportunity allows local artists to have the experience that they might gain by moving to and working in Spain. It permits our audiences to see a high level of flamenco on the stage, so that we all rise up in the joy of this art form. Concerts are scheduled to begin again in 2022. 

 

A Través established two large-scale annual events: The Atlanta Flamenco Festival and La Feria Atlanta. The multi-week festival presents world-class flamenco artists in two kinds of concerts. One showcases innovation and contemporary flamenco, which pushes the art form forward, and the other showcases traditional powerhouses that remind us of where flamenco is rooted and why the art form touches us emotionally. La Feria Atlanta is a small-scale recreation of La feria de Abril, which happens in Seville (Spain) annually, as a celebration of spring. This event is community-driven, and creates a social context for flamenco, which is something that we don't have in Atlanta. 

 

Teaching Flamenco to the Atlanta Community

 

The artists of A Través go into the community to teach adults and children about flamenco music, rhythm, dance, singing, and lifestyle. We have offered after-school classes for elementary, middle, and high school students, and the artists who visit Atlanta to work in our events teach in this after-school program. We use flamenco as a vehicle to teach curriculum standards of grades K-12 in public and private schools. At times, artists set choreography for major performances, and at other times, they inject important and special music and dance elements into our studies so that young dancers can perform flamenco in community events. This outreach always results in unexpected exchanges that offer new perspectives to the students, as well as the artists. The same thing happens when local flamenco artists work with the visiting artists in performances. This has become a special part of my work that I cherish. The curiosity of the students showcases an understanding of the world around us a little better, so that we may see ourselves more clearly in the end. 

 

Graduating Senior Chelsea Chang's Research Project: The impact of Dance Therapy on Parkinsons Disease

My name is Chelsea Chang, and I am a senior at Emory majoring in psychology and minoring in dance and movement studies. I recently finished working on a directed research project with Dr. Marshall Duke on the topic of how dance therapy affects the brain chemistry and is beneficial for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). PD is characterized by the classical triad: 1) intentional tremor 2) cogwheel rigidity stiffness and 3) motor dysfunction with a loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain. (It can cause stiffness and a loss of motor control). 

Studies have shown that dance can be an alternative to conventional exercise that addresses concerns such as impaired balance, walking, and reduced quality of life. Instead of medications and deep brain stimulation, the use of exercise is a holistic approach. Additionally, dance addresses many aspects such as the performance to music that serves as an external cue to facilitate movement and the teaching of specific movement and balance strategies. Dance therapy also leads to improvements in balance, gait, and cognitive performance as well as decreases anxiety levels. With the input from Professor Julio Medina of the Emory Dance Program and Dr. Madeleine Hackney of the Emory School of Medicine who specializes in this field, I was able to underscore the efficacy of dance as a therapeutic intervention for people with Parkinson’s Disease.

I decided to research this topic because I was inspired by the discussion about the arts such as music and dance having a major impact on a Parkinson’s patient. After many decades without moving and dancing as she used to, this patient immediately started dancing and remembering specific moves from a dance she was involved in in the past when the music started playing. This was very touching to watch and led me to become more interested in the brain chemistry and researching the efficacy of dance as a medicine for patients with PD. As a dancer myself, I also wanted to use this skill to be able to help improve the lives of others. After connecting with Dr. Hackney, who has a program for volunteers to dance with Parkinson patients, I am hoping to be involved in this in the upcoming summer. Dancing is not only a way to experience movement, but it is also something that changes you, moves you deeply and transforms your mentality.

Staff Favorites: Gregory Catellier and Dr. Mara Mandradjieff Bennett

Gregory Catellier, Professor of Practice

Q: Who is your favorite dance artist and why?

Greg: It's a tough one, but I still gravitate to David Dorfman's work. I am drawn to its specific physicality and musicality. There's an honesty to the work; specifically, I feel that the dancers are people dancing not dancers pretending to be people. The work is multilayered, abstract, and accessible.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

Greg: Children of Men--the production design is perfect.

Q: What is your favorite song?

Greg: David Byrne's "Dirty Old Town"… these days anyway.

Q: What has been your favorite course that you have taught for the Emory Dance Program?

Greg: Perhaps the one I haven't taught yet. I do really enjoy teaching Choreography I (solo composition). It is the most successful when the students teach each other.

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Greg: DV8's Cost of Living might be my favorite dance work. It is witty, daring, political, and can be read in many ways. Also, the Cher section almost always brings me to tears with joy.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment during your career?

Greg: Teaching Dominique Jones.

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Greg: Outrageous question! It can't be answered.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Greg: Too many. I did love bringing Trisha Brown's Solo Olos to ACDA. I'm very proud of the guest artists we have presented.

Q: What is your favorite book?

Greg: Currently... Accidentally Wes Anderson

Q: What is your favorite place on Emory's campus?

Greg: Schwartz Center Dance Studio

Dr. Mara Mandradjieff Bennett, Instructor

Q: Who has been the most influential dance artist to you?

Mara: My dance teachers have been more influential to me as an artist than any famous professional dancer or choreographer. I have learned valuable things from each of them and am forever grateful for their generosity of knowledge.

Q: What is your favorite song?

Mara: "Hotel California" by the Eagles

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Mara: Anytime I witness a student accomplish something new.

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Mara: France

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Mara: My favorite piece to perform was George Balanchine's Valse Fantaisie. The choreography mainly consists of waltzes and jumps, so I always felt at home in the movement.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

Mara: The Silence of the Lambs

Q: What is your favorite place on Emory's campus?

Mara: The Matheson Reading Room in the Woodruff Library

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Mara: Tacos

Community Connections: National Water Dance

Photo Credit: Montana, Georgia Littig, University of Montana Dance Student 

Dance faculty member Kristin O’Neal has been involved with National Water Dance in many capacities since it began as Florida Waterways Dance Project in 2011, and is currently their outreach coordinator. National Water Dance is an artist-driven collective of dancers, students, educators, who bring attention to environmental issues, specifically water, through dance.

The organization’s members create simultaneous performances across the United States, including Puerto Rico. This biannual event works as a movement choir, creating solidarity across the nation to bring awareness toward the water and climate crisis. Dancers learn a shared opening and closing movement phrase that connects them nationally. Each water site creates its body of movement inspired by that specific water site.

The Emory Dance Company participated in National Water Dance 2020 online via Zoom due to COVID-19. Lori Teague led the Emory contingent, teaching them both the shared movement choir phrases and creating the body of the improvisational work with the dancers. The next National Water Dance performance is Saturday, April 23, 2022, at 4 pm EDT. No matter where you are in the country, you may participate!

National Water Dance also creates site-specific performances that educate audiences, and, within the choreographic process, educate the dancers. This is accomplished through field trips and integrated curricula. Each location has its own particular water issues that becomes the focus for that area. These performances are live-streamed to reach a larger audience. Building community by uniting arts and environmental organizations on the local level, the state level, and the national level is at the heart of National Water Dance. Their hope is that dance can bypass politics and serve as a bridge to awareness and action by uniting people through the common need for clean water.

This past year, the organization created their Black Nature Conversations in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. The monthly conversations are between black dance artists who create their work within the environment or whose work is inspired by nature. This month on Friday, April 16th at 3 pm EST, they will converse with Atlanta dance artists PhaeMonae and Okwae A. Miller via Instagram (@nationalwater_dance). The following month, Okwae will interview Stafford C. Berry Jr., a professor and director of the African American Dance Company at Indiana University Bloomington. They are also especially interested in highlighting black dance artists working in the environment and are in the beginning stages of creating a Youth Climate contingent to join their Ambassador Board. O’ Neal stated, “We need to hear from the Greta Thunbergs in the USA!”

Those who are seeking further information may contact Kristin O’Neal (koneal2@emory.edu) or visit the National Water Dance website to connect with Dale Andree, the organization director.

Photo Credit: Montana, Zenia Monteagudo, University of Montana Dance Students 

Photo Credit: Maine, photographer unknown, Kinetic Energy

   

Student Profile: Emily Schebler

By Raven Crosby, Emory Dance Program Office Assistant

“I knew since the beginning of the college application process that I wanted to have a major in dance,” stated third-year student Emily Schebler. A Chattanooga, Tennessee native, she has been dancing since the age of two and dance has always been an important part of her life. “I dance because my body feels at home when I move. Throughout my life, it's been my emotional outlet, as well as a way to ignore life for a while and focus on movement. It also allows me to connect to my body unlike anything else. Dance has gotten me through countless hardships and brought me my most dear memories.”

Schebler was drawn to the Emory Dance Program due to the somatic-based work. “I was doing a lot of ballet in high school and was feeling some hardcore burnout; the emphasis [at Emory] on bodies moving how they move was very healing.” One thing that has kept her at the program is the Emory Dance community. “It's really hard not to have friends when you're in the Emory Dance Program. I've made some of the most meaningful connections in the Dance Program.” The courses that have had the greatest impact on her development as a dancer are contact improvisation and her modern technique courses. “Contact improvisation gave me access to body awareness I did not have before, as well as connect with other movers on a whole new level. Modern technique classes are very unique at Emory, and every course I've taken has brought something new to my awareness.”

Schebler provides powerful advice for first-year students: “It's a lot easier said than done but try not to compare your journey to anyone else's. There are some people in this program who have been dancing forever with a wide variety of backgrounds, and there are many who just started dancing while at Emory. There are some who want to dance after college professionally, and there are some who may not want to make dance their career but will continue to have a lifelong love for movement. Your journey is your own; fulfill what you need as a mover and a person. Try not to compare your skill, experience, or aspirations with anyone else's.”

Staff Favorites: Joanie Ferguson, Angela Harris, and Sally Radell

Joanie Ferguson, Dance Musician

Q: Who is your favorite dance artist and why?

Joanie: I especially enjoy works by Ohad Naharin, Pina Bausch, the dramatic flair of Martha Graham's work, the storytelling and athleticism of Alvin Ailey, the discipline of Cunningham technique, and the playfulness of Pilobolus. The most influential dance musician for me is Andy Hasenpflug at Slippery Rock University.

Q: What is your favorite song?

Joanie: Ugh. So many! I can't really choose, but I love the "old school" funky vibe of James Brown, The Meters, Chaka Khan, Average White Band, Earth Wind & Fire. I also love classical music, experimental music, Philip Glass…

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment during your career?

Joanie: All of my classes are special; there are moments of beauty, power, and genius every day in each class that are incredible to witness. I love watching dancers' discovering their "aha" moments and observing their progress. I love everything that happens at American Dance Festival in Durham, NC. I also really enjoy jamming and collaborating with other dance musicians.

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Joanie: Echad Mi Yodea by Ohad Naharin. I love the repetitive chanting and drum punctuation along with the tension of the performance. Honestly, I get something new out of it every time I see it performed.

Q: What is your favorite book?

Joanie: The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Joanie: Switzerland

Q: What has been your favorite course that you have accompanied for at the Emory Dance Program?

Joanie: I love them all, but I especially love playing for Modern III and IV classes.

Q: What is your favorite place on Emory's campus?

Joanie: WPEC and Schwartz, of course! :)

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Joanie: My most recent "favorite" is creating a live drum score for Lori Teague's Dance in Real Time series performed outside in front of the Candler Library in 2020.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

Joanie: I love the Austin Powers movie trilogy.

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Joanie: Mexican, Sushi, Thai, Tex-Mex

Angela Harris, Instructor

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Angela: Serenade is my favorite ballet because when I first saw it as a ninth-grade student, it was the first piece that I saw that embodied ballet movement in an inventive way (choreographically). I absolutely love the movement and once I learned the story behind Balanchine's choreographic process with Serenade, it inspired me to take chances as a young ballet choreographer.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

Angela: Recent movie: LaLa Land...But I have so many that I love!

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Angela: I am not sure if I have a favorite yet because there have been so many new, wonderful experiences since I started last year. A memorable one was getting to watch Unique Wilson's solo last semester and offering feedback. I always love seeing artists create and am honored to be a part of anyone's choreographic process. It was a beautiful solo, staged on a large staircase on campus.

Q: Who is your favorite dance artist and why?

Angela: Debbie Allen - She truly represents success in so many aspects of the industry. I have idolized her since I was young and first saw her in Fame. I have followed her career as a dancer, choreographer, director, and producer. I auditioned for her in a two-day audition process at the Kennedy Center when I was a senior in high school. I wrote all of my college admissions essays on my experience during that audition process. Unfortunately, I was (literally) the last person cut from the audition for that show (She cast 15 dancers out of almost 500, and I was #16 in the room.) Although I did not get the job, I learned so much watching and working with her for two days. I was in high school at the time, and that audition has stuck with me for all of these years.

Q: What has been your favorite course that you have taught at the Emory Dance Program?

Angela: I love all of the ballet classes that I have had the pleasure to teach at Emory.

Q: What is your favorite book?

Angela: I haven't had much time to read lately, but Memoirs of a Geisha was a compelling one.

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Angela: Sushi

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment during your career?

Angela: I danced with Urban Ballet Theater for five years, a contemporary ballet company based in NYC. I had so many great performance opportunities with the company, including a seven-city New Mexico tour and a New Year's Eve full-length ballet performance on the beach in Hollywood, Florida. One season, Urban Ballet Theater's Director, Daniel Catanach was commissioned to create a new ballet for the City of New Orleans. He brought the company to New Orleans for a summer residency, where he created the ballet on us, infusing the community and culture of New Orleans. The Kid for Elysian Fields was a modern-day rendition of the story of Billy the Kid. It was beautiful to have a ballet created on us, as well as seeing how live music, art, and community drives storytelling. It was a transformational time for me as a performer and artist.

Q: What is your favorite place on Emory's campus?

Angela: Emory's campus is so beautiful and peaceful. I just love walking around, whenever I get the chance.

Q: What is your favorite song?

Angela: I have so many...but, I really have been into H.E.R. lately!

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Angela: Dubai (or actually the entire UAE)

Sally Radell, Director and Professor

Q: Who is your favorite dance artist and why?

Sally: I have several....Susan Marshall - very sinuous and organic beautiful movement, very, nuanced. Also, Liz Lerman - her intergenerational work caused me to totally rethink who can dance and the diverse impact it can have.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

Sally: Forrest Gump

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Sally: Many of our EDC concerts have enormously powerful moments of students dancing beautiful choreography and connecting deeply to the moment.

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Sally: England

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Sally: Susan Marshall’s Contenders; it’s very athletic and takes a real-world activity and allows us to see in deeper and notice the power of the details.

Q: What is your favorite place on Emory's campus?

Sally: Lullwater Park

Q: What has been your favorite course that you have taught at the Emory Dance Program?

Sally: More than one.....I love Art as Work (formerly Contemporary Issues) because we dig deep, make powerful personal connections, and uncover the breadth of skills we all have and what we can realistically do with them to make our lives work. Also, somatic courses - I love it when I can guide students to uncover the immense power and awareness of new sensations in their bodies. Both these courses help students become empowered with all that they know and who they are.

Q: What is your favorite song?

Sally: any song by Max Richter

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment during your career?

Sally: This evolves....choreographing dance work that connects with people about critical issues on multiple levels, writing about dancers and body image, and administratively making things happen for our faculty, students, and program

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Sally: grilled salmon

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Unique Wilson

My name is Unique Wilson, and I am a senior studying dance and movement studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. My hometown is Washington, DC.

During the fall semester, I confronted a personal struggle, which I am still working through, and which is the inspiration for my EDC piece—the experience of feeling like an outlier. Furthermore, I am curious about exploring the disconnect one feels when they are part of a group, yet they still feel separate. I realized that a lot of people can relate to this experience. I expect that my piece will not only communicate an aspect of my struggle but also extend beyond that. At the moment, there seems to be a (non-linear) narrative. I cannot say what will come of this narrative, but I am trusting the process.

When I started my rehearsal process, I came with set phrase material. Since then, I have tried to incorporate more improvisation into the process. I encourage my cast to play with the material I give them and embody it in their way. At times, I will give them prompts to generate more material. From there, I start thinking of structure and transition ideas that I work through with my cast. Recently, I integrated journaling prompts in my rehearsal. Due to the personal nature of my choreographic process, I felt it would be extremely worthwhile to invite my cast to self-reflect through journaling as well. Also, I like to start each rehearsal with a question for everyone to answer. I hope that these check-in moments will inspire our sense of community with each other.

I expect the audience to emotionally engage with my piece. There are moments that I believe will cause the audience to possibly empathize with the dancers if they are in a place to receive my work that way. In any case, I hope that my piece will cause the audience to feel something, perhaps some part of my struggle. For myself, I hope to say everything I intend to through my piece. I view this entire process as an opportunity to bring a part of my life that I rarely talk about to the light.

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Merryn McKeough

My name is Merryn McKeough, and I am a junior from Wilmette, Illinois double majoring in psychology and dance and movement studies.

My EDC rehearsal process began by asking my cast when they felt most competitive. Their answers, ranging from sports, Jeopardy games, and situations where they compete to care the least, are a major source of inspiration for this work. I am interested in what drives competition and how it impacts interpersonal relationships. Much of the movement vocabulary is abstracted from athletics, combining a muscular physicality with moments of vulnerability.

I deeply respect and admire my cast. It is important to me that their artistic voices are incorporated into the final piece. Throughout the process, I try to give them opportunities to create movement, alter movement I have created, and suggest any ideas that they have. I also choreograph phrases based on their answers to the “question of the day” which we begin each rehearsal. The rehearsals usually include a mixture of movement generation exercises and learning set material. One of my favorite generation activities was inspired by victory dances; after watching compilations of football players’ touchdown dances, my cast created their own celebratory movement.

Because I think the ideas that I am working with are funny, I hope the audience can watch my commentary on competition and experience the humor that I see in it. Though the work explores my personal view of competition, I would also like the audience to walk away with their own reflective questions. Why do we compete? What do we gain from competition? What do we lose? What impact does inter- and intra-group competition have on team dynamics? I’m not setting out to answer any of these questions, but rather to ask them and suggest potential approaches to investigating them.

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Leah Behm

My name is Leah Behm and I am a senior dance and anthropology double major from Potomac, MD.

I am drawing on a lot of things for inspiration for my EDC piece. I came into the process not really knowing what direction I wanted to go in, but I knew I would gain insight from my cast once we started moving together. I am inspired greatly by humor and the different ways to convey it, but more specifically, I am drawn to colors, music, and nostalgia. These themes appear throughout and though they may not seem related, they come together to create an abstract and humorous piece.

My rehearsals involve a lot of movement generation from my dancers as well as teaching set phrase material that I come up with. We also spend time manipulating the material and trying it out in different ways spatially and thematically.

On top of everything, I think the audience will perceive my piece as a conglomeration of funny moments surrounded by some great dancing. I also think the audience will feel a weird sense of nostalgia, or possibly feel connected to the piece via the spoken word and musical elements.

I have had such a great time so far by focusing on just creating something fun! I am so happy we have the opportunity to premiere these works in times like these and I can't wait for everyone to see the show, it's going to be a good one!

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Avery Hampton

My name is Avery Hampton, and I am from Savannah, Georgia. I am a senior studying neuroscience and behavioral biology and dance and movement studies.

I have always found pubescence hilariously entertaining, and I love how it is universally considered to be the most awkward time of our lives. It is a period where we grow into ourselves and begin to experience some adult-ish problems for which we often do not have the most mature solutions. I want to tap into the age that most of us spend our whole lives trying to forget and see what movement ideas spring from this headspace.

I do not have a strict rehearsal process, as I often find myself experimenting with different ways to generate movement. Each rehearsal, I like to begin with a question that usually pertains to a pubescent experience. Beyond that, I like to play with movements, abstract them, and use improvisation to generate ideas.

I think the audience will be confused yet charmed with my piece. I am hoping it inspires feelings of sweet nostalgia that they can relate to on some level. I also hope that this will be a piece that brightens their day and makes them feel connected to their younger selves.

Community Connections: Dance Canvas

"Wink" by Jessica Bertram; Photo by Richard Calmes

By Raven Crosby, Emory Dance Program Office Assistant

Dance Canvas is a non-profit organization created by Emory dance faculty member Angela Harris. Dance Canvas' mission is to provide opportunities and venues to increase the awareness of professional dance in the metro Atlanta area. This is achieved through three tiers of engagement:

· They support emerging professional choreographers through their Choreographer Career Development Initiative, providing resources for choreographers to develop, create, and produce new work.

· They engage the community in dance-related workshops and experiences. Through their Artist-to-Artist (FREE Series), annual Performance Series, and FREE community events, they interact with audiences and present world premiere dance in Atlanta.

· They expose students and young adults to the world of professional dance through outreach programs, national partnerships, and the four-week DC NEXT program. 

Jessica Bertram in rehearsal

Dance Canvas has had considerable involvement within the Emory Dance community. Alumnae Jessica Bertram 17C and Catherine Messina 18C have both been featured choreographers for the annual Performance Series. Emory Dance Program’s stage manager Angelina Pellini completed an internship with Dance Canvas, and currently, office assistant Raven Crosby is serving as the administrative assistant for the organization. Dance Canvas offers many opportunities for students, staff, and community members to become involved with the organization.

Dance Canvas currently has four interns from Kennesaw State, Georgia State, Georgia Connections Academy, and a recent Alabama State University graduate. Interns focus their efforts on a specific sector (i.e., social media) and delve into exploration from day one. They are able to learn all the components that it takes to successfully run a dance organization.

Dance Canvas has two upcoming performances. The Science Art Wonder exhibition will take place during the Atlanta Science Festival March 24-26 at Georgia Tech. A collaborative dance film between Dance Canvas choreographer Thulani Vereen and Georgia Tech professor Francesco Fedele will premiere. The "Skyline Series" will present pieces from Dance Canvas' 2020-21 choreographers on stage, since they were postponed last March due to COVID-19. The "Skyline Series" will take place May 15-16. A limited number of $10 student tickets for the Skyline Series are available through the Ferst Center Box Office, using code DCCOLLEGE.

Each summer, Dance Canvas offers a program geared towards high school students interested in choreography. This summer, they are offering two programs. The DC NEXT Summer Choreographic Intensive will take place in person from July 6-30. This program gives students essential career-building skills by immersing them in the world of professional dance, both onstage and backstage. From June 7-18, DC NEXT will present its Virtual Dance on Film Program, which is designed to provide students with a platform to learn dance film making, while still training at home.

To learn more information about Dance Canvas, click here

Stay up to date with Dance Canvas events by following them on social media:

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Instagram @dancecanvas

Twitter @dancecanvas

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"Wink" by Jessica Bertram; Photo by Richard Calmes

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Hayden Hubner

I’m Hayden Hubner and am a senior transfer student. I am planning on completing another year at Emory and will graduate in spring 2022. I am from Nashville, Tennessee, and moved to Atlanta in the summer of 2019.

My Emory Dance Company piece is based on a non-narrative poetic structure that draws inspiration from real relationships. These inspirations come from my own experiences, my dancers’ experiences, and the relationships we have seen in life or in art.

My rehearsal process includes set choreography, structured improvisation, and movement created by the dancers that is sculpted to fit the piece. I also bring to rehearsals writing prompts, visual art materials, and information from other dance work, films, and poems, etc. These tools inspire me and generate movements, textures, and organize the space.

It is hard to say how the audience will perceive this piece, but my hopes are that it makes room for them to relate and have an internal dialogue about their personhood. My main goal is to generate an emotional response that inspires contemplation about how we view ourselves and others, the effect time has on our relationships, and the idea that the obstacles in our lives structure the way we approach the world afterward. We borrow from those we know and love and are borrowed from. We take and are taken from. Sometimes, we forget and are forgotten. But what is left after each step in this process is what the piece aims to depict: the projection of that love, lust, fear, confidence, jealousy, vulnerability, stealth, and some relentless joy.

Staff Favorites: Julio Medina, Sasikala Penumarthi, & Anne Walker

Julio Medina, Assistant Professor of Dance

Q: Who is your favorite dance artist and why?

Julio: It's difficult to choose a favorite. But, I really love the beauty of Pina Bausch's work. On the other hand, David Rousseve's work has been very influential in my movement and choreographic practice because I've worked with him recently in my career. Some of the dance moves and rhythms from his work "Halfway to Dawn" will probably stay in my body forever.

Q: What is your favorite place on Emory's campus?

Julio: The stone chairs on the hill, in between Alabama Hall and the Emory Student Center, overlooking Asbury Circle.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Julio: I think ffall 2020 has been my favorite "moment." It was the first full semester of dancing during COVID, but I felt that the Dance Program, students, staff, and faculty combined really made a concerted effort to support each other in many ways. I think it was a tough but special semester and I was happy to teach in-person courses.

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Julio: Gah, this is a difficult question to answer. Some of my tops are Beijing, China; Austin, Texas; and Sorrento, Italy. But I think my most favorite is when I traveled to perform in Panama City, Panama.

Q: What has been your favorite course that you have taught/accompanied for at the Emory Dance Program?

Julio: I am really enjoying my advanced hip-hop class currently. I'd hate to choose a favorite because I do enjoy teaching all of my classes. But this hip-hop course feels more like a dance lab than a class, and that's exciting because we learn in a different way, through collaboration and community building.

Q: What is your favorite song?

Julio: Depends on the occasion. To dance to: "Apache Remix" by Grandmaster Flash. To be uplifted: "Spiritual State" by Nujabes. To rap in the car by myself: "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'"" by Wu Tang Clan. To do yard work: "Que Rico Mambo" by Perez Prado. For Karaoke night with friends: "Born to Hand Jive"" by Sha Na Na

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Julio: I like "Lamentation" by Martha Graham, I think perhaps because it is short and to the point. I love the way the fabric stretches in the piece. I recreated and performed this work for a dance history class in grad school, and it was quite cathartic to do despite it being a stationary dance.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

Julio: Hmm, a few of my favorites include Eddie the Eagle, Love Actually, and Avengers: Endgame.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment during your career?

Julio: When I performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York. I was there performing "Halfway to Dawn" with REALITY, David Rousseve's company. BAM is a significant venue to present and perform at. I felt like I made it, like it was a turning point in my career as a professional dancer.

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Julio: udon noodles with hot sesame seed oil and oyster sauce

Q: What is your favorite book?

Julio: "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini

Sasikala Penumarthi, Instructor-Kuchipudi

Q: Who is your favorite dance artist?

Sasikala: My Guru Dr Vempati Chinna Satyam

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Sasikala: Nutcracker ballet in Kuchipudi style. It’s a dance of joy, happiness, peace, and a blend of world cultures.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Sasikala: Working with students, teaching them an embodiment of knowledge through dance.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment during your career?

Sasikala: Being recognized as the “Artist of the Evening” at the cultural festival in Tashkent, Russia.

Q: What is your favorite place on Emory's campus?

Sasikala: Carlos Museum

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Sasikala: Eggplant Parmigiana

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Sasikala: Hawaii

Anne Walker, Dance Program Coordinator

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Anne: I have seen so many great pieces, but the one that stands out recently is "Elemental Brubeck" by Lar Lubovitch, which was performed by the Atlanta Ballet last year. I love dance performed to jazz music! When Trisha Brown Dance Company was here, they performed a wonderful piece that was also set to jazz music, and I loved it.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

Anne: The Sound of Music

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Anne: There have been so many! Even though it was a ton of work, hosting the American College Dance Association Southeast Conference in 2016 was also really fun. I also loved the site-specific EDC performances last fall! It was great to see dance in different environments.

Q: What is your favorite book?

Anne: My all-time favorite is "Anne of Green Gables." My recent favorite is "The War That Saved My Life," a middle-grade book I listened to with my daughter. It is a very powerful story of resilience.

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Anne: This is a hard one to answer! But I'll say Venice, Italy. I spent three months there doing a museum internship back before it became overrun with cruise ships and before residents started moving out. I was there late fall through winter, which was a magical, quiet time to experience the city. I also travel to the Maine coast every other year and consider it my "spirit place."

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Anne: Anything with peaches!

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Xavier Bell

My name is Xavier Bell, and I am a junior studying neuroscience and dance. I am from a small town in Mississippi named Pass Christian. For my Emory Dance Company piece, I am aiming for an exposition, a journey into the variable images and reflections we have within us. I want to explore how as time passes, some things are lost, and others are gained. But the consistency of the reflection serves as a reminder of the pain and beauty in who we are, where we've been, and where we aim to be.

For my choreographic process, I am working with the dancers and allowing my piece to mold alongside their movements. I want to give both the movers and myself an opportunity to show and BE the reflection of ourselves and our inner workings. Several parts of the dance are driven by improvisation, and for others, I provide materials for the dancers to sculpt with their own movements.

I hope the audience questions their own reflection. What do they see within themselves? Have they experienced the pain and effervescence of their gaze? I wish for my and the dancer's pain, satisfaction, and beauty to be the catalyst that allows for these questions to arise within the audience. The self acts as the intermediary between thoughts and actions. This translation is what I want the audience to explore through the work.

 

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Olivia Browne

My name is Olivia Browne, and I am a sophomore from Dallas, Texas. I am double majoring in dance and movement studies and human health. My Emory Dance Company piece explores abstract ideas and sensations surrounding universal folklore, being alone vs. being lonely. Also, what happens if, in the pursuit of self-discovery, you realize that you are inherently evil and should deny the real you (a perversion of the "Eat, Pray, Love"/"finding myself" kind of narrative)? This overarching concept in horror mythology that vampires represent the fear of strangers/outsiders while the purpose of werewolves is to beware of the enemy within initially inspired the concept of my piece, and I have had a lot of success (and fun!) investigating the qualities and images that come with that.

My rehearsal process is very collaborative and involves a lot of manipulation of material, either generated by myself or the wonderful dancers in my piece. I am bringing in a ton of outside sources for inspiration and am asking the dancers to bring their own stories and memories into the work.

The purpose of this piece is to focus more on the process rather than the product and to imbue my own history with the mythology that we are exploring in the work. I hope the piece inspires a sort of existential crisis or dread in the audience (in the best way possible).

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Emilio Zurita Ontiveros

My name is Emilio and I am a junior double majoring in dance and biology. I was born and raised in Mexico City and only recently moved to the United States for college.

My inspiration for this piece is nature. I feel that many humans claim to appreciate nature, but only when it pleases their aesthetic. I want to highlight the less glamorous critters such as the decomposers, detritivores, and scavengers. These creatures keep the natural world running while fulfilling a vital role in every ecosystem. To me, it isn't about making them beautiful, but recognizing that they are already beautiful, even if we rarely think of them as such.

The rehearsal process is very collaborative with my cast. There are some set phrases that I bring in, but we do a lot of improvisation and movement creation. I take some of my ideas and natural inspirations and think of prompts to generate movement. I then present the prompts to my cast and we work on creating together.

I'm hoping that the audience will see the natural inspiration in my piece, without it being too literal. Also, I hope that the audience realizes that beauty is so much broader than what we're used to.