Emerging ChoreographersMeet the Emerging
Springboard Danse Montréal 20th Anniversary Edition
June 5 – 25, 2022
ETHAN COLANGELO (Canada)
“Conceptually I want to derive inspiration from references through film and politics. These references will be macro and micro scale ironies that exist in our current world and also the realities we create. I want to use cultural and fictional ideas of irony that support movement creation and imagery to facilitate an atmosphere/ world that feels understandable by the audience.”
Ethan Colangelo was born and raised in Toronto, Canada where he began his initial training at Canada’s National Ballet School and Elite Danceworx. He is now an alumni of the Juilliard School where he received the Hector Zaraspe Prize for Choreographic Promise. As a choreographer he has presented work at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur, Juilliard’s Choreographic Honours Showcases, APAP 2018, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Colangelo was also one of nine choreographers selected internationally for the Copenhagen International Choreography Competition in 2018 and 2021. At the competition in 2021 his piece “recurrence” won the audience choice award along with the DAF production prize and a residency with Hessisches Staatsballett. Most recently he has created new works for Ballet BC, BODYTRAFFIC, Whim W’Him Contemporary Dance, Arts Umbrella Dance Company and MOVE NYC. He is looking forward to new creations with the National Ballet of Canada, Arts Umbrella and DAF in Rome this spring.
Watch the trailer for Stadium by Ethan Colangelo
Commission for Ballet BC, 2021
Ethan’s headshot by Lee Gumbs
CARLOS KERR JR (Switzerland)
“I seek to capture the playfulness, humility, and vulnerability of the human spirit in my work. The continual trial and error of ideas give a chance to the unexpected. It’s a game, and that’s the fascinating part, that moment of the least expected that raises the hair on my flesh. I appreciate the simplicity and a clear intention behind each movement and the scene, leading to a natural and clever design of the space.”
Carlos Kerr Jr. is a Belizean-American dancer from Brooklyn, New York. He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts and then continued his training at the Ailey Fordham BFA program at Lincoln Center, where he graduated with honors. Carlos is a 2010 recipient of the Glory Kaufman Award for Excellence in Dance. He has worked internationally, dancing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Rubberband Dance Group, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, and Stadtheater Ulm. Carlos has been a soloist member with the Tanz Luzerner Theater in Switzerland from 2016 until 2022. He has performed in repertoire and original creations throughout his career with notable choreographers, including Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Hofesh Shecter, Johan Inger, Bryan Arias, Inbal Pinto, Fernando Melo & Marcos Morau. In addition to his career as a dancer, Carlos is also a choreographer, filmmaker, and dance teacher. Most recently, his work ‘Remotely Equal’ was selected and recognized in the Concours Choreographique of Mandalain Ballet Biarritz. In addition, his creation “Never Odd or Even” was featured as part of an evening of work alongside Patrick Delcroix for the Tanz Luzerner Theater.
Check out Carlos’ Vimeo channel here
Carlos’ headshot by Valeria Marangelli
ANNAMARI KESKINEN (Finland)
“I’m fascinated by things I don’t understand, the ineffable, the uncanny. Through my art, I explore my potential to create connections with the world around me. I am interested in how multilayered invisible landscapes can be visible through choreography.”
Annamari Keskinen is a dancer and choreographer from Helsinki. For the past 18 years, she has worked internationally in dance companies and as a freelance dancer with over 30 different choreographers and directors. Alongside her dancing career, Annamari has developed her choreographic practice. Her first full-length work, ‘Ikimono,’ was seen at the Staatstheater Kassel in Germany in a two-part evening ’emoji’ season 2016/2017. Annamari has taught professional and semi-professional dancers in Staatstheater Kassel, b12 festival, Salzburg Experimental Academy Of Dance (SEAD), Tanssille ry, Finnish National Opera Ballet School, Dock 11, Diversions (National Dance Company of Wales), Iwanson and Unite Dance Camp India among others. In 2018 Annamari founded dance theater company Thar Be Dragons together with dancer and choreographer Ryan Mason. Thar be Dragons functions as a platform for both choreographers to create and present their collaborative and personal work. The company has since produced four full evening works ‘Dying Animal Don’t Feel Sorry For Themselves’ (2018), ‘EI’ (commission Staatstheater Kassel 2018), ‘Eternal Return’ ( JoJo Oulu Dance Centre 2021) and ‘BLINK’ (commission Staatstheater Braunschweig 2022).
Check out Thar Be Dragons’ vimeo channel
Annamari’s headshot by Ryan Mason
KELLY ASHTON TODD (USA)
Kelly Ashton Todd is a performing artist, environmental activist, and filmmaker. She holds a Master’s in Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University and currently performs with Sleep No More, NYC. Her award winning environmental dance film series, Under Review, has attended over 20 film festivals nationally and internationally.
“Through years of performing and creating in physical theatre, my work develops the organic connection between inner life, the tension we hold, the micro aggressions of our climate, creative imagination and the expressive body. With rigorous practice I explore: archetypes, character and scenic atmospheres, immersive and site-specific partnering, and qualities of movement.
I grapple with giving voice to voiceless lands in a new language that inspires audiences to act amidst in a way that protects the wilderness. By creating new, innovative pathways for individuals to engage with our environment, we can spark the important political change needed to protect these irreplaceable, beautiful and truly wild lands.
Using choreography, we explore pressing issues around how the deterioration of our wilderness will create a domino effect on the landscape, wildlife and society. By merging what we as a culture find beautiful – human skill, the physical body, and epic landforms – we dig into the fundamental core of a viewer’s emotions. The result of this artistic process is to ignite action – encouraging viewers to vote, behave, and respond in an informed way that allows our planet to heal.”
Kelly’s photo by Effy Grey
Emerging Choreographer Danielle Russo (2012) | Installation at Place des arts, Montréal; Photo: Fito Pardo
Previous Emerging Choreographers
2020/2021
These editions were cancelled due to COVID-19
Brittney Canda, in collaboration with Telescope Films | Canada
Ethan Colangelo | Canada
Emma Evelein Dance & Choreography | Netherlands
Hannah Garner/2nd Best Dance Company | USA
Maddie Hanson | Canada
2019
Jason Mabana | Belgium
Lior Lazarof | Israël
Parts+Labour_Danse / David Albert-Toth & Emily Gualtieri | Québec
Simona Deaconescu / Tangaj Collective | Romania
Vanessa Goodman / Action at a Distance | Canada
2018
Mark Caserta | United States
Rachel Erdos | Israël
MA•ZE/Kristof Varnagy & Emese Nagy | Hungary
slowdanger/Taylor Knight & Anna Thompson | United States
The TL Collective/Micaela Taylor | United States
2017
Jasmine Ellis | Canada/Germany
Elia Mrak | USA
Michael Getman | Israël
Ryan Mason | Germany
La Tresse | Montréal
Eva Kolarova | Montréal
Guy Shomroni & Yaniv Abraham | Israël
2016
Jasmine Ellis (Canada/Germany)
Belinda McGuire/Belinda McGuire Dance Projects (Canada/USA)
Elia Mrak/los porcupines (USA)
Shumpei Nemoto (Japan)
Andrea Pena (Canada)
Spenser Theberge (USA)
Chuck Wilt/UNA Projects (USA)
2015
Banning Bouldin (New Dialect)
Brendan Duggan and Mallory Lynn (LoudHoundMovement)
Hanna Kiel (Human Body Expression)
Heather Myers
Evangelos Poulinas (Eleftheri Ptosi)
Colleen Snell (Frog in Hand)
Yin Yue (Yin Yue Dance Company)
2014
Bryan Arias
Jonathan Campbell et Austin Diaz, MADBOOTS DANCE
Sarah Chiesa
Jeremy Galdeano
Katharine Hawthorne
Helen Simoneau
Tom Weinberger
2013
Gabriel Forestieri
Roderick George
Elisabeth Motley
Zoe Scofield
Andrew Skeels
Kate Wallich
Robyn Mineko Williams
2012
Danielle Russo
Manuel Vignoulle
Liliane Moussa
Loni Landon
Jonathan Campbell
2011
Danielle Agami
James Gregg
Dana Katz
Charlotte Griffin
Shannon Gillen
2010
Austin McCormick with collaborator Lauren Albert
Elodie et Severine Lombardo
Julian Barnett
Nelly van Bommel
Allana Kraaijeveld with collaborator Arianna Bardesono
Shannon Gillen
2009
Nelly van Bommel with collaborator Arianna Bardesono
Ben Kamino
Kyra Jean Green
Adam Barruch with collaborators Lauren Albert and Sebastien Forgues
2008
Kyle Abraham
Dorian Nuskind-Oder with collaborator Regina Gibson
Amber Lee Parker
2007
Kate Hilliard with collaborator Corinne Donly
Ghislaine Dote
Melanie Demers
Badeen Pedawi
Adam Weinert
Freya Olafson
EMERGING CHOREOGRAPHER INTERVIEWS
Former Emerging Choreographer (2008), and 2013 MacArthur grant recipient, Kyle Abraham named Dance Magazine’s “Man of the Moment”
“Pounding the Pavement”: Montréal Gazette article on former Emerging Choreographer Kyle Abraham
In 2008, Abraham created an installation in Montreal for Ballet Divertimento’s wonderful Springboard summer dance session. He became friends with one of Springboard’s founders, Alexandra Wells of New York’s Juilliard School. Since then, Wells has offered her comments on all of Abraham’s creations, including Pavement.
“She really gave honest feedback — what was necessary or needed more work. She can give me performance notes where maybe someone else would be afraid for whatever reason. She really goes there with me and tells me what is and isn’t believable, where I can take more time and where I take too much time.”