“It takes one…” was inspired by my love for musicals and dance.

In this piece I wanted my dancers to simply have fun, but also play with the ideas of spontaneity, humor, and connection. I took inspiration from some of my favorite musicals—specifically West Side Story, In the Heights, and La La Land—and added some of my own flair to it. Dance for me has never just been about the physicality or the athleticism. Dance and music connects people and has for centuries. Because this piece was being made for my senior capstone, I wanted to incorporate the styles of dance I was doing for me and best represented me during my years in university: hip hop and ballroom. The goal wasn’t to create the most insane or jaw-dropping choreography, but to challenge my dancers to break away from the stress and seriousness of studying dance and simply enjoy dancing again.

click the image to watch the full video!