The 2015 Young Choreographers for NM's Dance at Socrates
This year, young choreographers ages 14-19 will present dances alongside the professional choreographers at Socrates Sculpture Park.
Aug 22, 2015 at 4pm
Emma Lee
Sixteen-year-old Emma Lee has been dancing her whole life. Since 2008 she has been a student of Ellen Robbins, dancing and choreographing with Ellen as well as creating work of her own. She began taking lessons at age three, learning basic ballet through storytelling, and has been experimenting with her own movement ever since. Through the years she has studied forms including Modern, Korean Folk dance, Flamenco, African Dance, Hip-Hop, Improvisation, and Butoh. Emma has worked with Tamar Rogoff, attended Butoh and Limon intensives, and spent the last two summers at the Bates Dance Festival as a part of their Young Dancers Workshop. Along with creating dances, Emma plays soccer, runs track, and pursues an interest in music and the visual arts. As rising senior in high school now, Emma hopes to pursue a career in dance. Emma’s newest piece, Wallflower (2015), explores one’s reluctance to do something, one’s poor attempts towards doing it, overdoing it, and ultimately becoming exhausted with the task. The piece is three minutes in length and Emma will continue to develop it for Ellen Robins’ Family Matters performance this winter at New York Live Arts.
Aug 15, 2015 at 4pm
Damani Van Rensalier
Damani began her training at Dance World Academy where she studied ballet, tap, and jazz. She also studied at Passaic County Technical Institute where she completed courses such as Survival Skills, Dance History, Composition, and Choreography. She has competed in many regional and national competitions and has received awards such as Jr. Miss Broadway and Miss Dance Explosion. Damani has performed at her local church and for other church functions since the age of 10. She has also performed with her fellow PCTI dance members in their annual winter and spring dance concerts as well as other school assemblies. She has also performed as a finalist with PCTI in the NJN Hispanic Youth Showcase held at NJPAC. In December of 2012, Damani performed on Main Street Disney with the cast of “Newsies” in Orlando, Florida and was featured on television for the annual Christmas day parade. In July of 2014, she flew to London and Paris with her Dance World Academy dance members where she then performed in Disneyland Paris. Her dance abilities have earned her many awards and recognitions such as being inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts and receiving the 2015 Outstanding Award at PCTI. She also was the honorable mention recipient for the 2014 NDEO Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academic Award and then a finalist for the same award in 2015. Damani has graduated from Passaic County Technical Institute and will be attending the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in the fall.
Dance at Socrates is made possible in part by the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Dance at Socrates is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
