newportbeachindy . com AUGUST 2 , 2024 5

LIVE SHOWS EVERY THURSDAY - SUNDAY !

@ IVANZHOUSELIVE NEW SHOWS ADDED WEEKLY • MOZAMBIQUEOC . COM

- COMING SOON : SHOWS YOU CAN ’ T MISS -

TIJUANA DOGS 8 / 2 | 9:00 PM

NEW DOUBT 8 / 10 | 9:00 PM

MYKAL ROSE 8 / 11 | 7:30 PM

“ Swipe ” by Cherice Barton . Photo by Dave Friedman

By Jasmine Jenkins | Special to the NB Indy

The National Choreographers Initiative , founded by Corona del Mar resident Molly Lynch in 2004 as a way to give choreographers the time and resources to experiment , celebrated its 20th annual performance on Saturday , July 27 at the Irvine Barclay Theatre .

Throughout the evening , Lynch provided details about NCI , its purpose , and its process . Every year , 16 professional dancers from ballet companies throughout the United States and four choreographers meet at the University of California , Irvine for three weeks , during which they rehearse eight hours per day , six days a week .

The goal at the end of the three weeks is not to have a finished product ; instead , NCI is a laboratory for choreographers to innovate with an open-ended , collaborative approach . After the three weeks are over and the choreographers showcase their work , they can take these ideas elsewhere and develop them further .

Before the first performance , Oklahoma City Ballet rehearsal director and choreographer DaYoung Jung introduced herself and her piece . The number , titled “ Fleeting ,” represents how “ each and every breath we take , every moment we experience , and every day we live comes and goes in the blink of an eye , just like a fleeting moment ,” said Jung .

Jung also gave the audience a glimpse into her creative process , revealing that she came to Irvine with an open book , wanting to push herself as a choreographer and “ take advantage of the space , time , dancers [ she ] had .”

Through a mixture of classical ballet technique and contemporary movement , Jung ’ s choreography captured the sense of passing time and the fleeting yet precious moments that make up our lives .

Donna Salgado , whose pieces were next , initially brought only one piece to the intensive . This dance , “ Aurora Movement Spells ,” was inspired by “ this vision for a ballet about a community that was so connected to nature that when they danced , their movements produced auroras in the sky .”

Her second piece , “ Estrellitas y Rosas ,” came about organically when Salgado played one of her father ’ s favorite albums for the dancers .

Aurora Movement Spells took a less contemporary approach compared to Fleeting while still incorporating the fluidity and ethereality of the aurora borealis . The combination of bachata , a genre of Latin music , and ballet worked delightfully in “ Estrellitas y Rosas ,” resulting in a playful homage to Salgado ’ s childhood .

After a brief intermission , Los Angeles-based choreographer

CHOREOGRAPHERS Page 15