Emory Dance Company Choreographer: Olivia Browne

 

Photo by Shannel J. Resto Photography

It's show week for the Emory Dance Company! Read on to learn about choreographer Olivia Browne's work, and make sure to purchase your tickets for the performances on April 20-22, 2023.

Olivia Browne is a senior dance and movement studies major, and this is her third time choreographing for the Emory Dance Company. She has been dancing for over seventeen years and choreographing for eight years. Olivia has trained internationally in modern, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and many other dance forms. She has studied with renowned dance companies such as Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance, and Batsheva Dance Company, as well as participating in the 10-month Masa Program with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. Olivia is planning to continue performing and creating dance after she graduates this spring.

Read on to learn about her research and choreographic process. 

My choreographic process usually starts with seeking inspiration from other art forms, e.g., film, poetry, art, and then using that inspiration to generate movement. I aim for collaboration with my dancers, giving them a movement vocabulary they can utilize to create in order to stay within the realm of the piece. I then combine the choreography I provide with the movement generated by the dancers to create something hopefully cohesive. This creation process has been a bit different in that I am meeting with the cast in four separate groups rather than all together, which has its own logistical challenges. However, this allows me to get to know each of the dancers more intimately and tell four completely different narratives within the context of one piece. Also, an essential part of how I conceptualize my work is the music, costume, and lighting, which inform all aspects of the choreography from the beginning of the process until the end.  

For this work, I am expanding upon the physical and academic research I did in the previous semester regarding the circus. While I love and appreciate the existing circus arts, I want to abstract the overarching themes and concepts of the circus as a cultural entity rather than provide my version of circus performance. I am greatly inspired by the relationship dynamics between the Ringleader and the other acts of the circus, as well as the circus performer’s relationship with the audience, as they pertain to control. 

The piece is divided into four distinct vignettes, called “acts,” which include The Ringleader, The Beasts, The Balancing Acts, and The Clowns. An exciting and challenging part of this process is that I am trying to create movement that embodies many different roles; For instance, an elephant does not move in the same way a tightrope walker would. This considerable variation in movement quality forces me to diversify my choreography and push myself out of my comfort zone. I am also very excited about the opportunity to work with such a big and talented cast. I could not be luckier to have the dancers I have. 

   
I hope audiences engage with this work in whatever way speaks to them; I only ask that they consider how their role as an audience contributes to the piece as a whole. After all, without the crowd, there would be no circus.   

Thank you Olivia! 

Purchase tickets for the EDC Spring 2023 Concert here.