INTERVIEW WITH CHOREOGRAPHER RYAN THORNTON

 

Photo by ACC Intermediate Photography Course

Ryan Thornton is a 26-year-old from both San Jose, CA, and The Woodlands, TX. He has been involved in the ACC Dance Department for a few years.  Though he has been involved in fine arts since he was a small child, he started dancing in 2015. Over the past eight years, he has trained in modern, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, pro-style, and tumbling. He is now a Dance Major at ACC and intends to earn his Associate’s Degree and transfer to a university. Outside of ACC, he is the director of a non-profit organization called Omega Performing Arts dedicated to providing performance and educational opportunities to dance artists.

His piece is titled, “Apocalypso”. His goal was to create a post-apocalyptic world with moments of concert-inspired choreography. He describes it as a “Superbowl Halftime show for the end of the world.” The main dance genre used was jazz but with a dark, mature, and unique twist. There are also moments of acro and modern dance. He incorporated heavy production elements into this piece - edgy costuming, layered, a dynamic soundtrack, rave-level lighting, and dramatic props. Every component of this piece was imbued with details, purpose, and intricacy. One of the biggest obstacles he encountered was heavy scrutiny of his concept. He knew it was going to be a very farfetched idea, but he believes that he and his cast have done a great job bringing it to life! Ryan’s vision was to create an immersive fantasy that the audience can lose themselves in - even if it’s for five minutes. Come and experience the world of “Apocalypso”!