The Emerging Choreographers’ Showcase (ECS) celebrated its 10th anniversary with eight choreographed numbers on Sunday and Monday. From violin-accompanied ballads to hair-raising thrillers, the showcase in Greaves Concert Hall was a unique display of movement.
“It’s an accumulation of different people’s either first works or, for me, I choreograph all the time, and this is just an opportunity for me to have fun with it,” said Jenna Khan, a BFA student in dance performance. “It’s a way to see your peers in a different light than you normally would.”
Khan, in her fourth and final year participating in ECS, decided to choreograph five students to the song “Somebody That I Used to Know,” by Gotye. The number, titled “Decisive Distance,” tells the story of heartbreak, with a dancer even ripping up a red paper heart on stage. Working together with her crew each week, the final choreography is one of her favorite pieces.
“The best work I do come up with is something that is authentic and not forced,” Khan said. “I realized creativity doesn’t need to have boundaries or expectations around it, and the best art is made when it’s your own, and then you’re not really afraid of other people’s opinion.”
ECS is open to all students, with no dance major or prerequisite required. Ryan Armstrong, majoring in Spanish and secondary education, has been dancing for 12 years. The show allowed him to continue that passion, with an opportunity to choreograph for the first time. Armstrong led seven dancers to Chappel Roan’s “The Subway,” naming the number “Just Another Day.”
“It’s about the commonality of feelings of longing towards something, and how we all have something or someone that ‘got away,’” Armstrong said.
His dance opens up with a dancer streaking across the floor, clad in a bridal dress. The white fabric flows behind her as she rushes to the stage. The other dancers also have specific costumes, such as a nurse in scrubs and a businesswoman in an austere suit.
“I wanted the costuming to reflect everyday people,” Armstrong said. “So I decided each person should have their own character.”
ECS takes place each year, providing dancers with the chance to work with mentors and explore different artistic styles. The entire production is run by students, for students.
“Anybody can choreograph and anybody can dance,” Khan said. “I’ve worked with acting majors, people who weren’t even in the arts, and it just kind of shows me that anybody’s teachable and anybody can dance, and you shouldn’t put parameters on the types of people that are allowed to do that.”