Many may not know that Memphis has a modern dance collective 20 years young called Project: Motion. Modern dance is a uniquely American art form characterized by a spirit of exploration and creativity. It was created as a sort of “rebellion” against classical ballet. Joining the rebellion as a board member, I’m happy to present this guest blog post by Sarah Bolton, a choreographer and dancer at Project: Motion. In her own voice she talks about Project: Motion and their upcoming show Emerge 2.

Modern dance is earthy, it’s raw, and we dance in bare feet. Project: Motion has been in Memphis for over 20 years, and provides a forum for local dance artists to experiment, develop skills and hone artistic vision in a nurturing and challenging environment. Many of the dancers who used to be with Project: Motion are now all over the globe, dancing, teaching, and choreographing. Occasionally, we get them to come back to Memphis to perform as guest artists.

This year, Project: Motion is hosting a very cool program called Emerge. The Emerge Series was created by Project: Motion in 2006 to serve as a platform for local emerging choreographers to develop and showcase their first public presentations of contemporary dance in a supportive and professional environment. Designed to encourage dance artists to explore and try out new ideas, Emerge is basically a series of several enrichment workshops designed to help new choreographers get the creative juices flowing. Then, after auditions, each choreographer is paired up with a more experienced Project: Motion choreographer, who acts as a sort of “mentor” throughout the entire rehearsal process.

The culmination of Emerge is a full dance concert at Theatreworks, complete with lighting, costumes, and sound. This year, six emerging, local choreographers (including myself) are participating in Emerge. You can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse by visiting our blog: www.projectmotion.wordpress.com

During our concert (which is the last two weekends in May), we are really excited to feature two guest artists. Kara Bruzina, a local ballet dancer, will perform a solo during the first weekend. And you can catch Contrapasso, a cool modern company from Chattanooga, TN, during the second weekend.

Project: Motion is committed to expanding awareness of modern dance throughout the Memphis community. Modern dance isn’t just for the “artsy” people out there. Anyone can appreciate the beauty and humanity of dance. In fact, as part of our community outreach, we hosted a community dance choreography workshop at Caritas Village in Midtown on Saturday, May 16.

Please reach out and join us in contributing to a vibrant Memphis.

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Sarah Christine Bolton is a Project: Motion dancer and choreographer. She is also a freelance writer and maintains the Project: Motion blog. Check it out at www.projectmotion.wordpress.com

Art, culture, Event Arts & Culture