shelby durham.
why choreograph?
The human experience is ultimately something that everyone on the planet can relate to. If you are a human, you have experiences.
These human experiences unite us, however, they are what differentiate us. A cognitive reflection that one person may have over the smallest detail, might mean massive amounts to another. These experiences, however they differ, are what intrigue me as an artist.
Designing a stage feels like second nature to me. I have always had a passion for lines, color, shape and texture through the mediums of fashion, architecture, paintings and interior design. Much like how I can create an experience through pieces of textiles, I can create an experience within an audience member through a choreographic work. I strive to create dynamic movement vocabulary with motivation, rigor, grit, and honesty. My movement is the culmination of research on a topic, however big or small, and I begin with the extremes of the human body.I want to see how the dancer’s anatomy can hinder their shapes, or help create them. These contradictions and conflicts within the human body spark conversation and confrontations under the skin that are exclusive to each human on the planet, not just dancers. And on top of all of these ideas, I value performance. My creation is just as much as it is for the dancers as it is for the audience.
This investigatory personality has helped fuel my passion for movement. Whether I am embodying the experience of a different choreographer or creating an experience through my work, I want to create art that helps the audiences, dancers, and myself realize that although we may all have different experiences, we all have human experiences, and we all are human.
Shelby began choreographing in 2018 for competitive dance studios throughout the southeastern U.S. She was the first Elon dance major to have her choreographic work selected for two consecutive years to be presented in their annual concert, and her choreography and commissioned work has been presented throughout the US. In 2020, her choreographic works were screened in the HOMEGROWN Choreography Festival and selected for the IODC and the EXCHANGE Choreography Festivals. Shelby was awarded the “Outstanding Senior Dance Performance & Choreography Award” for her accomplishments in both fields at Elon University in 2019. Most recently, she premiered "Transmute", at Loyola University Chicago in 2022.
