The Movement Project

SummerWorks is an annual performance by The Movement Project that provides an opportunity for our pre-professional summer intensive students to step into the professional dance environment as guest artists. This year, dancers ages 12–18 spent the week immersed in classes taught by members of The Movement Project, before taking the stage alongside the company for the SummerWorks performance.

Throughout the intensive, students were challenged not only to develop their technical and movement skills, but to think and create as choreographers. Working collaboratively, they developed their own compositional work to share as part of the performance. They also participated in an improvisational work, giving them the opportunity to respond to one another, trust their instincts, and experience the spontaneity and vulnerability that are central to contemporary modern dance.

What made this experience particularly meaningful was seeing how much the dancers grew in such a short amount of time. Over the course of one week, students were introduced to new movement practices, creative processes, and ways of thinking about dance. Watching them become more confident in their choices and more willing to explore unfamiliar ways of moving was inspiring.

SummerWorks created a space where young dancers were not simply learning about professional dance, but actively experiencing it. They shared the stage with working artists, contributed their own creative voices, and saw firsthand what is possible when training, curiosity, collaboration, and performance come together. The experience reinforced the importance of creating opportunities for young dancers to be seen not just as students, but as emerging artists with ideas and perspectives of their own.

Performance Photos: by Evan Prunty, Black Valve