Dance Reel

Choreography

I am driven to create choreographic works because, I believe, dance is the most powerful human medium through which to express oneself. Unlike prose or visual art, I find movement to be a compelling art form that is innate to and digestible by all. I find deep inspiration for my chorographic work from Queer history and culture, and the world around me. Rooted largely in modern dance with a background in musical theatre, I enjoy aesthetics that are athletic, avant-garde, and leave the audience thinking. As theatre and dance have acted as safe havens for me to explore, understand, and represent my truest self, my main prerogative is to emote feeling in any individual who watches my work. When words are too gruesome or confusing to muster, movement acts as a universal storytelling method, which allows me to step out of my thoughts and into my emotions.

Noctambulist (2023)

This piece, conceptualized as a precursor to Tennesee Senate Bill 3; Florida Senate Bill 254 (2023), depicts the fear queer people may have when first coming to terms with their identity. Playing with the idea of sleepwalking, this work displays the menotiny and self-destruction one may go through before fully embracing their identity.
Choreographer/Performer: Tyler Anderson
Costume Designer: Tyler Anderson
Lighting Designer: Aiden Marshall
Music: “Humble Bow” by Slowdanger
Venue: Bakalar Studio, Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, MA

Tennessee Senate Bill 3; Florida Senate Bill 254 (2023)

I choreographed Tennesee Senate Bill 3; Florida Senate Bill 254 (2023) in response to the anti-LGBTQ legislature that has swept through the United States during 2023. This piece strives to display the coming to terms with ones identity that all queer individuals must experience to fully live authentically. Set to Slowdanger’s “Walkingpattern,” from the album Reflector, this piece begins with the dancer restricted and in hiding, and ends with the dancer taking pride in their queer self.
Choreographer/Performer: Tyler Anderson
Costume Designer/Construction: Tyler Anderson
Set Designer/Construction: Tyler Anderson
Lighting Designer: Tyler Anderson
Videographer: Ashlin BW
Music: “Walkingpattern” by Slowdanger
Venue: Dance Studio Theater, Slippery Rock University

Ports de Bras (2023)

I choreographed this dance film following a knee injury that took me out of my technique classes. This work explores the defeat one may feel when they are injured or immobilized in some way, and coming to terms with using the body however one can.
Director/Choreographer: Tyler Anderson
Performers: Tyler Anderson, Austin Shaffer
Lighting Designer: Cassie Dietrich
Videographer/Video Producer: Ashlin BW
Music: “Schwanengesang, D. 957: 4. Ständchen (Serenade)” by Franz Schubert*
Venue: Dance Studio Theater, Slippery Rock University

Dancecrime (2022)

I choreographed Dancecrime (2022) for my Composition I course as part of attaining a BA in Dance from Slippery Rock University (in progress). This piece is directly inspired by George Orwell’s classic novel, 1984, which challenges the ways in which authorities of power may manipulate language as a means of population control. In this piece, the performer loses their freedom, ultimately submitting to Big Brother. Set to Mozart’s “Lacrimosa” from Requiem, the choreography features many arbitrary, abstract shapes to mimic the Party’s determination to extinguish independent thought, having followers engage with their requests, no matter how capricious.
Choreographer: Tyler Anderson
Performer: Lily Staib
Costume Designer/Construction: Tyler Anderson
Lighting Designer: Cassie Dietrich
Videographer: Ashlin BW
Music: “Requiem in D minor, K. 626” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Venue: Dance Studio Theater, Slippery Rock University