Emory Dance Company Choreographer Mia Shocket

 Photo courtesy of Mia Shocket 

The Emory Dance Company spring concert on April 20-22, 2023 is just a few weeks away! Read on to learn more about student choreographer Mia Shocket.

Mia Shocket is a junior from Washington, DC double-majoring in neuroscience and behavioral biology. Before college, she was in a dance company for fifteen years that participated in regional and national competitions and focused on artistry and versatility across many styles of dance and performance. She has been signed with Clear Talent Group in New York City since 2018. At Emory, she has consistently been involved in Emory Dance Company, Persuasion Hip-Hop Crew, and AHANA, a student run dance organization. 

Read on to learn about her choreographic work and process. 

This is my first time ever creating a piece of work. This piece explores how the brain reacts to various sensory stimuli. The main focus is sound, fully exploring the beats that are driving the movement, with an additional look into shapes and colors. The main influences are derived from rhythm driven music, especially the genres of disco, funk, and house. I have been pulling inspiration from various areas while crafting this work, and the committed cast of twelve dancers are no exception.  

I have mainly taught set choreography that was generated in direct response to the sounds and historical contexts of the music. In between my own teaching, the dancers have used their own drawings and self generated grooves to choreograph sections of the work. I have remained committed to pushing the dancers to move almost the whole time during rehearsals, improving their athleticism and getting their bodies into the groove.  

I am interested to see how the audience responds to the beat and how they move along with the dancers while watching the work. Outside of those involved with dance in the audience, I want all members to see how universal dance can be. I hope that the audience experiences positive stimulation from both the movement and the upbeat sounds. Above all else, I would love for the audience to feel the strong sense of community that has formed throughout the rehearsal process. 

Thank you Mia! 

Purchase tickets for the EDC Spring 2023 Concert here.