Elytra
Elytra is an interdisciplinary dance-work dissecting power through the dynamic interplay of body and a sculptural costume. Corseted in a plastic exoskeleton, this performance delves into witnessed transformations. The work harnesses an unabashed crave for change that is rooted in personal perspective and driven by desire to overcome containment.
Conceptualized, choreographed, costumed and performed by Melissa Younker with original music by Insurgent Beat Machine.
Performance & Screening Adaptations
4-Hour Durational Performance
12-Minute Short Performance
33-Minute Silent Film
5-Minute Screendance Short Film
Creative Director: Melissa Younker
Original Music: Insurgent Beat Machine
Film Director: Shelby Taylor
Choreographer & Performer: Melissa Younker
Directors of Photography: Bree Robles & Shelby Taylor
Cinematographers: Bree Robles & Shelby Taylor
Costume Designer: Melissa Younker
Lighting Designer: Shelby Taylor
Film Editor: Melissa Younker
Special Thanks: Florian Alberge, Rachel Andes, Rae Luebbert, Tori Meyer & Aaron Nelson
Performance Videography: Cayden Turnbow
Rehearsal Photographer: Florian Alberge
Performance Photographer: Hailey Mae
Documentary Film
Dancing in Duration: a documentary about "Albeit Liminal" by Rae Luebbert, Tori Meyer & Cayden Turnbow
Performances & Screenings
Premiere, April 2023
4-Hour Durational Performance
Albiet Liminal
@ Sugar Space Arts Warehouse, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
February 2024
Short Performance
12 Minutes Max
@ Main Library Auditorium, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
March 2024
Short Performance
Midwest RAD Fest
@ Epic Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
April 2024
Official Selection
June 2024
7-hour Durational Performance & Installation
September 2024
Official Selection
September 2024
Official Selection & Nominee for “Best Costume”
Noori Screendance Festival
@ Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) Auditorium, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Chashama Gala
@ 42nd Street, New York, New York, USA
Screen Dance Film Screening
@ Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
Greenwich Film Festival
@ Greenwich Picturehouse, London, UK
