Choreographers and dancers at North continue to discover a welcoming and supportive community within Theatre Ink’s Choreography Project which will run May 3-5 in the auditorium.

Directed by seniors Lily Bailen, Molly Bailen, and Mikayle Huntington, The Choreography Project, is a compilation of student choreographed dances that are performed by North students both with and without prior dance experience.

“The Choreography Project was created since we didn’t feel that there were many dance opportunities within theater,” said Huntington. “Therefore, The Choreography Project would bring together students who love to dance but maybe don’t act.”

In its third year of production, The Choreography Project has quickly become a home for North students who are eagerly interested in performing and choreographing for their school.

“In January, we had over 50 dancers come in from a variety of genre backgrounds,” said Bailen.

An outside choreographer is hired for the large musical productions at North. However, for every other production, students are able to direct and create their own unique choreography.

“A student choreographer is very beneficial since they know the students they are teaching,” said Bailen. “It adds a new level of work ethic since it is much easier to get to know each other and put more effort into certain dances,” she added.

Although student choreographers have the benefit of understanding the needs and skill levels of the student dancers, they are not immune to the physical and mental challenges of dancing. An experienced dancer herself, Huntington said that “choreography is a creative process, but it is also dancing which can be exhausting.”

According to Molly Bailen, when faced with challenges remembering the choreography, “It is really important to not be too hard on yourself,” she added. “The dancers work really hard and, when they finally get it right, it is incredible to see,” said Molly Bailen.