Shaping Sound: A Truly Collaborative Dance Company

I’ve written before about the television show SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, a dancing competition that represents a great example of a collaborative web. Part of that web is a group of All-Star alumnae of the show who continue to work together after their time on the show ends.One of the most famous of these All-Stars is Travis Wall. Travis was the runner up in the second season of SO YOU THINK. He returned to the show in later years as a choreographer, earning Emmy nominations for his work.Last summer, Travis was the subject of his own reality television show, along with his friends, roommates and colleagues Nick Lazzarini (Season 1 winner of SO YOU THINK), Teddy Forance and Kyle Robinson. The show is called ALL THE RIGHT MOVES, and aired on the Oxygen network. ALL THE RIGHT MOVES documents how these four dancers and choreographers support one another in their individual work. When one choreographs, another assistant choreographs and the others dance. By working together in a collaborative manner, they all are able to achieve more than they ever could on their own.Specifically, over the eight episodes of the show, we see these four friends conceive an idea to launch a new dance company they call SHAPING SOUND. The four recruited fellow All Stars and other dancers to perform in a premiere event for the company in LA, and in another performance in New York City. Ultimately, they were able to land a contract for a national tour of the company.I found the series to be incredibly inspirational. You can watch episodes of the series on Amazon Instant VideoLast night, it was with great excitement that I went to see the New York City engagement of the first national tour of SHAPING SOUND. I have to say, it was an incredibly moving experience, made more so because I knew the personal stories of so many of the dancers. All four of Travis, Nick, Teddy and Kyle are credited as creators and choreographers of the production, and it is impossible to know for certain which choreographer created which dances.One of the greatest parts of the performance was the audience. The vast majority of the people there were young dancers, some in their teens, who are being introduced to the world of dance in new and powerful ways by SO YOU THINK and SHAPING SOUND. All four choreographers teach students, and they even taught a special class before each performance. The company is dedicated to inspiring and empowering the next generation of dancers.For me, it was a powerful reminder of what collaborators can achieve. The evening went beyond a performance to create the beginnings of a new and vital institution, one that is firmly committed to avoiding being beholden to the vision, talent or star power of any one individual.I hope that SHAPING SOUND turns out to be the shape of things to come.