Congrats to Joffrey's Choreographers of Color Award-Winners!

Eeeeeeee!

That’s the sound we make when we hear about events showcasing emerging choreographers. Maybe that’s oddly specific, but think about it: Whatever directions these artists decide to take will help shape the coming decades of dance. Call us #dancenerdz, but we think that’s pretty freakin’ exciting.

This July, the Joffrey Academy of Dance held a national competition in search of up-and-coming choreographers of color, and last week they selected the winners: Jennifer Archibald, Abdul Latif and Stephanie Martinez. Let’s take a moment to meet these dance-future-holders.

Jennifer Archibald
is the founder and artistic director of the Arch Dance Company. Her style combines elements of hip hop and contemporary to create movement that’s intensely physical, emotional and spiritual. To get a better sense of what this looks like, check out an excerpt from Archibald’s Wings, performed by Ailey II:

Abdul Latif
is the founder/artistic director of the performing arts firm D2DT. His choreography is urban contemporary, combining his diverse background of technical training with the urban experience. Check out Latif’s There Are No Tangents: Part 1 – Where Have You Been?

Last, but certainly not least, Stephanie Martinez is a Chicago-based dance maker. Her choreography layers elements from all different styles on top of a strong balletic base. Here’s Martinez’s Orange Bird:

All three choreographers will present world premieres—set on Joffrey Academy trainees and the Joffrey Studio Company—in “Winning Works 2015.” The event will hold three performances from March 7–8 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. (Click here for tickets.) We can’t wait to see what these three come up with!