Submitted
En Pointe Indiana Ballet’s Music in Motion performance has been funded by a grant from the Fishers Arts + Culture Commission.
Franks
“We are so excited to once again be a Fishers Arts + Culture Commission grant recipient,” En Pointe instructor Emily Franks said. “Our students work so hard and are really fantastic kids overall. I believe they should have all the opportunities I can give them. These special artistic grants bring our community together in such a beautiful way and showcase the incredible the support we have for the arts here in Indiana!”
The Fishers Arts + Culture Commission invests in artists, art organizations, and cultural events that foster a city where arts and culture activities are a vital component of community life. Through the grant award, En Pointe is bringing Music in Motion to Fishers this May.
At 2 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, in collaboration with the Fishers Marching Tiger Band and the Fishers Guard, En Pointe will present Music in Motion at Fishers High School Auditorium for the vibrant Fishers Indiana community. Ticket proceeds will benefit The Fishers Marching Tiger Band 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade trip.
The performance will feature new modern pieces – Streets of New York and My People – by Emily Franks, several high-energy pieces choreographed by Robert Moore set to the music of Billy Joel, and a very special appearance by the Fishers Guard.
In an effort to foster continued creative partnerships, En Pointe also will provide a free master class for The Fishers Guard prior to the performances.
New Works: An Arts Commission Project
Franks also was a 2021/2022 season Fishers Arts + Culture Commission and an Indiana Arts Commission grant recipient. Additionally, her original piece Suits is a 2023 New Works: An Arts Commission Project winner and will be premier at the Center for the Performing Arts on June 10, 2023.
Now in its second season, the New Works competition is an initiative by the Center for the Performing Arts to promote and sustain central Indiana’s working artists and arts communities in an inclusive way by supporting the creation of new works across all performing arts disciplines.
Suits is an original dance piece incorporating various styles and techniques, including ballet, contemporary, Graham, and jazz, to be performed by 19 En Pointe pre-professional student dancers. Franks, an En Pointe instructor and former dancer with Dance Kaleidoscope, choreographed Suits based on her own career transition from professional dance to office-based work. The narrative is a mystery about a stolen document, set amid the human dynamics of corporate culture.
“I think the Palladium is one of the most beautiful stages in Indiana,” Franks said. “As a dancer, a beautiful theater just makes your heart happy. I’m so excited our students will get the opportunity to dance at the Palladium alongside some incredible artists. I think it’ll be an experience that they’ll hold on to for the rest of their lives.”
Emily Franks on Music in Motion
“The incredible staff, both artistic and administrative, that I work with at En Pointe is insanely talented,” Franks said. “All the teachers lead their classes with humility and kindness. I’m one of the younger teachers, and they’ve seen me grow up during different phases of my Indy dance life. While I look up to all of them professionally, I admire them all as people more. They’ve become family, and I’m so grateful for their encouragement, especially when I come to them with exciting community projects like Music in Motion.”
Click here for tickets to see Music in Motion.
Click here for tickets to see Suits.
About Emily Franks
Emily Franks began dancing at the age of 10 at The Woodlands Dance Center in Texas under the direction of Regan Jurick. In 2014, she worked as an instructor and judge for MA Dance, where she taught throughout the continental U.S. and Hawaii. While she continued her dance training at the University of Oklahoma under Austin Hartel, Derrick Minter, and Roxanne Lyst, Emily also studied Business Marketing, graduating in 2018. As an instructor and judge for MA Dance, she taught throughout the continental U.S. and Hawaii. While she continued her dance training at the University of Oklahoma, she was a member of Hartel Dance Group and Contemporary Dance Oklahoma. She has attended intensives with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ad Deum and Nobel Motion.
Upon graduation, Franks danced with Dance Kaleidoscope under the direction of David Hochoy and was a company member for four years. She has gone on to receive multiple artistic grants and been named a fellow of the Indiana Arts Commission. She enjoys teaching dancers of all ages and seeing them fall in love with the art just like she has.