About Esmé Boyce Dance

In the collaborative work of Esmé Boyce Dance, music, sculptural form, image and dance are developed in tandem. Almost always interdisciplinary, our group's performances have paired a classical emphasis on rigor and technical accomplishment with a rejection of a purist approach to genre and methodology. 

In our work, the body is a vehicle for abstract content and physicality. The choreography utilizes classical lines in space as well as weight, gravity and momentum to render a kinetic world with painterly detail. While anchored to specific themes and references, the dances follow human personalities and surreal imagery outside of linear narrative. We strive for a balance of grace, humor and abandon. While movement is typically the point of origin for a new piece, musical concepts feed back into choreographic decisions, which in turn inform imagery and tone. We are interested in making work that transcends daily experience and offers poetry to the viewer and performer. Esmé is fascinated with how movement can evolve by changing context and references to arrive at a new place, a more beautiful place, a more grotesque place or simply a new idea altogether. This commitment to unstable meaning allows space for surprise, honesty and humor. Throughout all our work is a theme of transformation, of using movement to change perception and challenge compositional assumptions. 

Photo by Maria Baranova

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Photo by Julie Lemberger

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Photo by Julie Lemberger