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.”
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