Choreographer: Will A. Ervin Jr.

Company: Accent Dance NYC

Location: New York, NY

Compensation: $20/hr for rehearsals, $150-$250 for performances

 

Choreographer Will A. Ervin Jr. and Accent Dance NYC are seeking professional contemporary and contemporary ballet dancers to create a new work. Dancers should be well-versed in contemporary or contemporary ballet, and familiarity with house, popping, and waving are a plus. All street and contemporary styles are welcome. 

 

Artists of color are especially encouraged to apply, though all are welcome.

 

Dancers must be able to legally work in the United States. All rehearsals and performances will take place in the NYC area, and dancers should be local. Unfortunately we cannot provide travel or lodging for out-of-state dancers.

 

Audition Details/What to Prepare:

 

Please send the following materials to andrea@accent.dance no later than Friday, June 16:

 

-Resume or detailed bio of your performance experience

-Headshot or picture of yourself

-Video of you dancing (reels, performance footage, studio footage, or improvisation footage are all acceptable). We will view up to 3 minutes of footage. If your video is longer than 3 minutes, please provide cue times for the section you would like us to watch.

-Your availability on Thursday, June 29, 2023

 

Auditions are by invitation only, and will take place on Thursday, June 29 from 10 am to 1 pm. Location and other details about the audition will be shared with artists who receive an invitation. Invitations will be sent no later than Monday, June 26.

 

Statement from the Choreographer about the Work:

 

“Loving one’s self is great in theory but the practice of is significantly more challenging. Environmental factors such as home life, community, ethnic, gender, and sexual identity all play roles in how we approach the person that looks back in the mirror. The creation of this piece will explore this narrative via character work and movement study.”

 

About the Choreographer:

 

Will is an east coast native. He earned his BFA in dance from Montclair State University (May 2017). He graduated with an MFA in dance from the University of Illinois in May 2020. He has also trained with Joffrey Ballet, EMIA Rennie Harris, Jacobs Pilow, and Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet. 

Since graduating, Ervin has performed at the Alexander Kasser Theatre, the Joyce Theatre, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music with the Hearts of Men ensemble. As Artistic Director of his company Erv Works Dance, he has presented choreography at the University of Illinois set on 1st year Dance Majors, the Dumbo Dance Festival, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.  His newest works were created for  Kemar’s newest project headlining 2021’s Global Black Pride event where Kemar’s work was presented after the keynote speaker President Joe Biden, Battery Dance Festival, Maria Torres’s Sol El Bario, and the Joyce Theatre in partnership with Future Dance Festival, 92st Y, and The Martha Graham Dance Company.

Other accomplishments include interning with American Ballet Theatre’s Major Gifts Department, previously serving as the Co. Director of Dance at Brooklyn Center for the Arts and Resident Choreographer of Judah International Dance Theater. He was recently named Dance Lab by Josh Prince’s 2022 fall cycle choreographer, Dance on the Lawn's 2022 emerging commissioned choreographer, and just set work on Dimensions Dance Theater of Miami.

 

About Accent Dance NYC:

 

The Accent Dance NYC Company is a professional concert dance company committed to exploring the artistic, cultural, and humanistic connections among people of all backgrounds. We commission and showcase the work of a diverse array of emerging and established choreographers, including Cuban choreographer Pedro Ruiz, Mexican choreographer David Fernandez, Argentinian choreographer Dardo Galletto, Spanish-American choreographer Lucia Jackson, Colombian choreographer Elisa Toro Franky, Haitian choreographer Steven Vilsaint, and American choreographers Christina Coleman, Falosha Martin, Josh Johnson, and Zay P. 

 

As a metaphor for cultural acceptance and convergence, the Company fuses diverse dance styles, including ballet with hip hop, flamenco with contemporary dance, tap with hip hop. Pressing issues of social justice, climate change, inclusion, and identity also are explored and highlighted.

 

If you have any questions, please contact: andrea@accent.dance