Emory Dance Company Choreographer: Gracie Evans

 

The Spring 2024 Emory Dance Company Concert on April 18-20 features new work by students in our Choreography II course. Read about choreographer Gracie Evans' work and process below!

My piece chronicles an unnamed invisible illness and its physical and emotional impacts on the body. The work is split into three stages, with each stage corresponding to the “before”, “during”, and “after” phases of illness. My dancers have been exploring how pain, suffering, and grief can manifest into movement in a non-literal and abstract way. The narrative of the piece draws from my own experience as well as the novel “The Invisible Kingdom” by Meghan O’Rourke.

Illness is so uniquely personal and it can be a very isolating experience. While the work touches on this, the dancers have also revealed how there is always a space for community and connection. When I watch the work, I can’t help but notice the extraordinary care the dancers have for one another. I am most excited to see how this unity and collective energy transfers to the stage.

Most of the material that I choreograph feels good in the body, familiar, or as my dancers describe it, “fun.” During my choreographic process, I have challenged my dancers to experiment with movement that feels physically uncomfortable but emotionally resonant. The juxtaposition of these two vastly different movement qualities has been so exciting to watch and I can’t thank my cast enough for their willingness to really “go there.”

I hope audiences feel like they went on a journey while watching my work. I hope that they feel a pit in their stomach that is overpowered by the beautiful and groovy movement, but never quite leaves.

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

Emory Dance Company Choreographer: Kayla Lim

The Spring 2024 Emory Dance Company Concert on April 18-20 features new work by students in our Choreography II course. Read about choreographer Kayla Lim's work and process below!

I am exploring the concept of emotions, and the sense of embodiment with these emotions integrated into my movement. I have an idea of each emotion that I want for each part of my piece - excitement, restlessness, loneliness, and acceptance. I want to give my dancers this outline to think about when creating and executing the movement, but I also want to give them the freedom to interpret these emotions themselves.

I am most excited to see where this piece is going because I don't have set transitions or endings yet. I enjoy the process of figuring out what works and what doesn't, so having the time and ability to play around with that is what I find most exciting. I am also very inspired by my dancers which helps greatly with the process itself.

My choreographic process began with creating three core phrases. I wanted to give out a good amount of choreography before I had my dancers generate movement so that I could set a guideline. I am now exploring more of individuality as opposed to unity since most of my phrases that I have created are group sections. I have added a duet section with movement generated by my dancers, and I plan to incorporate more of those elements in the future.

I hope that audiences enjoy the work and take away something they remember in the future.

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

Emory Dance Company Choreographer: Sophia Shahin

 

The Spring 2024 Emory Dance Company Concert on April 18-20 features new work by students in our Choreography II course. Read about choreographer Sophia Shahin's work and process below!

I am drawing inspiration from the manifestation of the unconscious mind within the realm of dreams. I want to dive into the surreal and abstract nature of dreams, exploring how they serve as a veil, masking the authentic emotions of the dreamer. In addition, I aim to illuminate the concept of dreams as a window to the unconscious, where emotions are often suppressed and disguised.

This piece truly invites the audience into an unfamiliar world, one where the interplay of a disturbing soundscape, distorted costumes, and emotionally charged yet athletic movements immerse the audience into a narrative. As I continue to explore this world, I am thrilled by watching my dancers engage with the material, surrendering to the absurdity and complexity of it.

As a first-time choreographer, I am still honing my creative process. I’ve played with offering phrase work, which I then manipulate and distort. Additionally, I’ve explored providing prompts to the dancer, which take the form of artistic images, Wikipedia pages, and other sources detailing dream phenomena and letting that spark inspiration for movement generation.

When audiences witness my work, I hope they feel disoriented amidst the absurdity and ambiguity of the piece, prompting introspection and personal interpretation. The abstract nature of the piece invites the audience to embark on a unique journey, finding clarity within the mysterious nature of dreams and emotions.

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

Emory Dance Company Choreographer: Deena Goodgold

 

The Spring 2024 Emory Dance Company Concert on April 18-20 features new work by students in our Choreography II course. Read about choreographer Deena Goodgold's work and process below!

In my work, I am exploring themes of multi-tasking, distractions, hyper-fixations, and other concepts related to having ADHD, and their benefits. I am also interested in exploring these concepts in a scientific manner, taking into account the randomness in nature that allows us to adapt to our environment. Given that I can relate to these concepts, I am curious to see how they subconsciously govern the direction of the piece.

In rehearsals, I have been teaching phrases that I made as well as having my dancers generate their own material based off of questions I ask and prompts/words I give the dancers to think about. I have been playing with this material and finding new ways of portraying concepts that relate to the overall theme.

I want audience members to find themselves at times getting distracted, but noting that whatever they are drawn to holds something of value. I hope that the audience can get a glimpse into the mind of someone with ADHD and perceive the organized chaos within the work. 

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