Authors: Andy Sefcik
Mentors: Jamie Johnson
Insitution: Utah Valley University
Utah Valley University's Repertory Ballet Ensemble (RBE) has made it a priority to expose students to contemporary ballet techniques. In the Summer and Fall of 2023, Complexions Contemporary Ballet (CCB) Former Ballet Master, Christina Johnson, and Répétiteur, Jourdan Epstein visited the university to teach NIQUE classes and set repertoire on RBE for the February 2024 concerts. CCB was founded in 1994 by Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson with the intent of reinventing dance by fusing a variety of styles and techniques. Based on phenomenological field research, gathered during the CCB Winter Intensive, I intend to illuminate the hallmarks of the CCB generated “NIQUE” technique in comparison to Vaganova approaches to ballet technique. In this presentation, I will present phrasework in the style of classical Vaganova ballet technique in comparison to NIQUE technique to create a clear visual difference between the two movement styles. This research shares the fundamentals of NIQUE technique to highlight how it is connected to and how it has developed beyond classical ballet technique.