Choreographers Project

Since 1984, the Choreographers Project at the Hess Studio has provided guidance and assistance for creative and professional development in contemporary dance, as well as a collegial atmosphere for artistic exploration. The project is a model for research and development in movement.

This residency for emerging independent choreographers from the Greater Philadelphia area annually offers to three to four artists space and time in which to develop their craft; opportunities to present their works to the public and build audiences; master teacher and peer evaluation; and continuous encouragement in their creative development. CP artists come from a wide range of stylistic backgrounds and are encouraged to investigate diverse expressions.

SHMD accepts inquiries from interested local choreographers throughout the year. Ultimately, a candidate is invited into the project only after Hess has viewed a selection of his or her work in live performance. Performance values such as ambitious concepts and creative execution of those concepts, as well as movement training and awareness, are critical in Hess’s evaluation.

The emerging choreographers must have been active in the field for at least two years and show potential for growth. Invited artists may not be in college or in another residency that provides ready access to rehearsal space, as this is a key offering of the CP.

Meet our resident choreographers for 2008-9!

Photo by J.J. Tiziou

Meg Foley

Meg Foley, a new resident this season, has been performing and creating dances in Philadelphia for  four years as an independent dance artist and as the director of Moving Research/megfoley.  She creates astonishingly intricate movement and teaches it to dancers who love discussion.  Her goal is to have an ongoing dance research process with a group of steady collaborators: a dance family.  Foley’s work has been presented at the Community Education Center, Mascher Space Cooperative, and Vox Populi Gallery, as well as by Bowerbird.  As a performer, she currently dances for Nichole Canuso Dance Company, Devynn Emory, and Lisa Kraus.  She was a CEC New Edge Mix Recipient in 2006.  Foley was educated and influenced by the good people at Scripps College and Laban Centre London.  She loves to teach both technique and critical theory and has led workshops on whether authentic movement really exists and on locating meaning within and constructing self-referential movement. Some of her favorite dances that she has recently seen are Bird Song by Siobhan Davies, Rammed Earth by Tere O’Connor, and Jen Rosenblit’s greatest hits duets.

Photo by J.J. Tiziou

Erin Foreman-Murray

New resident Erin Foreman-Murray is a dancer and independent choreographer who delights in making her home in Philadelphia. Her creative work has been presented by the Field/Philadelphia, Limina Projects, the Glue Performance Series, In Flux, and Current, as well as in Fresh Juice in the Philly Fringe Festival and the Movement Research Open Performance Series. She was an artist-in-residence at the Mascher Space Cooperative, where she also served as the director of Philly Dance COSMOS, a contemporary dance class series. Foreman-Murray currently dances with Michelle Stortz/Ring Dance Theater; she has also appeared recently in works by Moving Research/megfoley and Roko Kawai.  She holds a B.F.A. in modern dance from Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance, and she values supporting the advancement of dance in Philadelphia through her roles as Program Associate at Dance/USA Philadelphia and as a freelance nonprofit administrator.

Jumatatu Poe

Photo by Lindsay Browning

Jumatatu Poe hails from California by way of Philadelphia and is in his first year of residency at SHMD.  He is an alumnus of Swarthmore College and a graduate of the M.F.A. program at Temple University.  While at Swarthmore, he studied the Umfundalai technique and other African-inspired dance styles, performed in student- and faculty-choreographed works, and created Hip-Hop-/Dancehall-infused works for the student-run company Rhythm N Motion.  He has trained at Philadanco and in the Jacob's Pillow and Illadelph Legends Festivals.  Poe has performed in the works of Charles O. Anderson, Oscar Araìz, Myra Bazell, Stafford Berry, Marianela Boan, Silvana Cardell, H. T. Chen, Clyde Evans, Phil Grosser, Tania Isaac,  C. Kemal Nance, Merián Soto, Keith Thompson, and Kariamu Welsh (as a member of Kariamu & Company: Traditions).  His choreography has been featured at Swarthmore College, Temple University, the Philly Fringe Festival, GLUE Performance Series, and the New Edge Mix festival series.  Most recently, he co-choreographed (with Tania Isaac) the revival of the musical Jamaica for the Prince Music Theater.

Olive Prince

Photo by Lindsay Browning