Choreographer Lindsay Nelko Talks Awakening

Lindsay Nelko

(photo by Kristen Sawatzky)

At last year’s Capezio A.C.E. (Award for Choreographic Excellence) Awards in NYC, Lindsay Nelko tied for third place, winning $3,000 to produce her own show in conjunction with Capezio and Break the Floor Productions. Next week, we’ll see the fruits of that partnership: Nelko will present the world premiere of her evening-length work, Awakening, at Ailey’s Citigroup Theater on August 6 and 7.

Nelko, who has choreographed for “The X Factor” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” has made some top-notch connections over the course of her career, so it’s unsurprising that the cast of Awakening is pretty spectacular. Of the 24 dancers, eight are appearing courtesy of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, four are current or former members of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and others have performed with San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet and the Bad Boys of Dance. It’s a seriously out-of-this-world roster.

Dance Spirit
caught up with Nelko to learn more about Awakening.

How would you describe the show?

Awakening
is loosely based on my life, and on the moments of realization—or awakening—in certain feelings or events. There are 18 small narratives woven together that depict those feelings, including sadness, anxiety, joy, friendship and young love. There’s also the theme of awakening in terms of sleep. The show moves between reality, the dream state and hypnagogia, which is the state between wakefulness and sleep.

(L to R) Mark Caserta and Casey McIntyre appearing courtesy of Complexions Contemporary Ballet in Lindsay Nelko’s Awakening

(photo by Matthew Murphy)

That seems pretty deep.

It is! I’ve been inspired by my life’s journey. I feel like artistic work frequently stems from our selves. It’s been like therapy to have my own show. I’ve been able to dive deeper, bring those experiences to life through incredible dancers and share it all with a wider audience.

Um, wow.

Jeffrey Sousa and Ashley Fitzgerald in Awakening

(photo by Matthew Murphy)

How has
Awakening evolved over time?

Well, the process really started in May 2013, when I created and workshopped Awakening for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. (Then I presented an excerpt at the A.C.E. Awards.) At that time, however, not all of the pieces were finalized, and I’ve since added a few more to the work. And while my first cast was amazing, I’ve been blessed to have an incredibly diverse cast this time around. There will be 18 classical and contemporary ballet dancers, in addition to modern, jazz and musical theater dancers. It’s going to be an interesting mix, but also a truer representation of my work.

Can’t wait for August 6? Watch a clip of Awakening from last year’s ACE Awards below, and click here for more information.