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!