Submitted by Ballet Northwest
For the fourth year, young choreographers from Olympia’s Ballet Northwest will surprise and delight the audience at the Young Choreographers Showcase (YCS) on August 23, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts on the South Puget Sound Community College campus, an event created to allow Company dancers to explore creativity and leadership in dance.
This year the event will showcase original productions from 12 choreographers. Ten are dancers from Ballet Northwest who range in age from 13 to 18. The other two are Ballet Northwest alumni who are currently studying at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and the Joffrey Academy of Dance in Chicago.
At the event, audiences will encounter dances in variety of styles, including ballet, modern dance and jazz. Choreographers get to take advantage of a professional stage and lighting. “This is the second year we’ll have the event at the Minnaert Center, which is a beautiful venue for dance,” said Josie Johnson, Co-Artistic Director at Ballet Northwest.
Created in 2012, YCS gives the dancers at the Company an opportunity to create their own choreography, explore creativity and produce their own work. “Our dancers were getting more and more comfortable in different dance styles and were starting to show an interest in choreography. We saw the talent developing, so we created the Showcase to give these dancers the opportunity to stage their creativity,” said Ken Johnson, Co-Artistic Director at Ballet Northwest.
In order to participate in the event, dancers had to submit an application outlining why they wanted to participate, the style of music they would use as well as how many dancers they would need to stage their production. Next, choreographers attended Choreography Master Classes taught by master teachers from the region.
The Johnsons mentored the students throughout the creative process as well as at rehearsals. “We provided guidance and would pop into rehearsals to make sure things were going well and progressing. We’ve discovered that this process is a great leadership opportunity for the students. They have to manage rehearsal times, make sure dancers are available and take charge of their peers,” said Josie Johnson.
Ken Johnson added, “It is exciting to see the amazing quality of work that these local, young choreographers produce. Audiences are continually blown away by the choreographer’s imagination coming to life on the stage.”
Tickets are $12 (plus $3 Washington Center service fee) and can be purchased at: www.olytix.org or by calling 360-753-8586.
Since 1970, Ballet Northwest has been a community-based group dedicated to promoting, teaching, and preserving the art of dance in Southwest Washington. The company offers educational opportunities for local dancers as well as outreach throughout the community.
