Pacific Index

A Close look at the Autumn Choreographers Concert

Making its annual appearance as one of the only shows created and performed by our Pacific students is the Autumn Choreographers Concerts. This three-day showing is performed by Pacific Dance Ensemble students in accordance with senior choreography Capstone projects. This year, seniors Sara Muller, Jamie Jensen, Raechyl Rosen, and Katelyn Ker will present their personalized choreographies along with Portland-based guest choreographer, Taylor Eddleston. 

   As senior capstones, each choreographer had to create their own original dance from scratch. “The creative process was a lot of work, but I had a theme that I wanted my dance to be based on, a theme of how humans connect with one another,” states senior dance student Sara Muller. “Watching how people connect in their day-to-day lives and then expressing that through dance took a large amount of time and effort”, shares Muller. 

   Working with her dancers, hours of rehearsal went into creating choreography she felt best showed off her theme of connection. Muller wanted to make sure the ensemble dancers had her choreography down and that they were portraying the story how she wanted, especially since this is her capstone project. “I felt more pressure creating this piece than any other dance, but the process was a great challenge.” 

   For the final piece, Muller showcases connection through performative storytelling. “It follows the story of someone who has love, but doesn’t know how to show it until she forms a connection with others. I’m hoping that with my dance, people not only will understand the story that my dance tells, but I hope they reflect on the connection in their own lives,” expresses Muller. For her, it’s important that the audience understands the many ways in which connection is demonstrated from person to person. 

   Muller is not the only senior choreographer with a powerful message; each of the other choreographers have a personal and powerful theme within their performances. As a capstone project, this is one of the most important assignments of their undergraduate careers. “After graduation, I intend to pursue a career in dance. I want to be a professional dancer and dance for as long as possible,” manifests Muller. She recognizes, though, that dancing is a physically demanding endeavor, and like other professional athletes, it is not a career that can last forever; after her time dancing comes to an end, Muller says that she plans to be a physical therapist or in the field of psychology. 

The Pacific Dance Ensemble and the four senior choreographers will present the Autumn Choreographers Concert on November 21-23 at the Tom Miles Theatre.