Many competitive dance and reality television shows, such as So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD), can be credited with increasing the accessibility of dance by bringing different styles of dancing into the viewer’s home (13). Shortly following, Los Angeles-based studios such as Millennium Dance Complex and the EDGE Performing Arts Center attempted to make commercial dance styles even more visible through videos posted on YouTube and social media outlets like Instagram and Facebook. The dance industry today is constantly changing and being influenced by new waves of talent and expression. To make a name for themselves, aspiring dancers must create a visual outlet in which their movement and choreography can be accessed; for many, this outlet is social media. Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, creative director of I Am Force (IAF) Company aims to use social media and digital access to “connect aspiring dancers with top industry choreographers and directors to create job opportunities” (6).

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            Dancing in front of a camera and sharing videos of dance performances and practices are not new concepts. During the earliest explorations of motion picture on a camera in the late 1800s, Thomas Edison used dancers to test the ability of the equipment to pick up motion (8; 9). What began as movement-testing quickly became an opportunity for documentation of dance and now serves as a new medium for the art form all together. Douglas Rosenberg points out that “technologies of the moving image as developed in the early 1900s enabled artists to explore multiple frames of reference and take advantage of the fluidity of cinematic time” (2; 10). As a result, artists like Gene Kelly initiated cinematic approaches to camerawork that favored the dancer and emphasized their musicality and movement (8; 9). The development of new technologies and accessibility of video cameras has stimulated continuously new artistic approaches to dancing for the camera.

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            Today, the accessibility and ease of use of cameras has stimulated artistic expression through the use of technology and social media (8; 9). The video camera has given artists the ability to choreograph to multiple changing viewpoints with camera movement and angles, and visualize movement in ways that are impossible for the naked human eye (2). Utilization of multiple shots of varying length that change in relation to the rhythm of the music mirrors our current society’s addiction to speed and convenience. This creates an appearance of urgency and athleticism that attracts the general public to dance, and prompts Douglas Rosenberg’s conjecture that postmodern dance is defined by living in “the age of the video” (10). 

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            The increasing influence of social media on society and its younger generations today creates an outlet for artists to share their media and influence viewers around the world. Not surprisingly, reality television and dance competition culture in the United States has substantially increased visibility of dance over the past decade (11). My friends, who have had no prior experience or interest in studio dance growing up, will now ask to watch dance videos on Instagram with me. Many of them also follow the Millennium Dance Complex Instagram (@mdcdance) and will send me videos that they like to watch. Others will at least recognize their iconic red studio simply from the brand they have built by posting videos on Instagram for the past few years. By presenting dance as a competitive, and at times, interactive form of accessible entertainment, the art form is able to insert itself into mainstream media and pop culture (13). Nigel Lythgoe, judge of SYTYCDexplains that although viewers may not understand the technicalities of dance, they will appreciate the art as a form of entertainment. The judges are there to serve as experts and help the viewers to make their decisions, but not how to do so (13). Currently, Americans are more focused on competitive and commercial dance than other categories of dance, and this can be due to the increase in ease and accessibility through Youtube and social media (11). SYTYCDand Dance Moms have simultaneously influenced the moves and choreography that teachers, parents, and dancers want to teach, watch, and perform (11). It has even been discussed that if the general population continues to be constantly exposed to commercial dance through the media, young dancers will be encouraged to seek out that style of training over other styles of studio dance (11). 

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            The increase in accessibility also allows aspiring professionals to use media such as Instagram as a public, online portfolio of their talents. With enough likes, views, and followers, a dancer who may not have otherwise been discovered can become well-recognized overnight. Choreographers like Matt Steffanina, dancers like Tate McRae, and groups such as the Jabbawockies have created a fan-base off of social media and are currently able to make a living off of their social media successes. However, the influence and accessibility of social media on dance can also turn in to a negative impact on the art form. The increasing popularity of competitive and commercial dance is steering young dancers away from receiving proper technique training in traditional concert dance styles and is instead encouraging them to focus on learning new tricks and combinations that can be posted on their Instagram (11). Dance Magazine points out that while most dance teachers aim to focus on emphasizing the importance of technique over embellishments, their words can often become lost in a social media-dominated time full of accounts featuring “the hyper-elastic, hyper-extended, gumby-footed girls, multiple turners, avid-stretchers,” and overall show-offs (5). Nevertheless, whether the public agrees with its impact or not, social media is here to stay and it is up to the dancer to figure out how to use it appropriately.

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            A choreographer at the forefront of this transformation is Chehon Wespi-Tschopp. Wespi-Tschopp is a young dancer and choreographer who aspires to stay ahead of the quickly changing industry by providing a space for young performers to grow and showcase their talents. He is most known for his experience on SYTYCDSeason 9 where his hard work and willingness to emote earned him the title of America’s Favorite Dancer (3). Wespi-Tschopp was born in Chicago, but adopted by a Swiss family who raised him as with dual-citizenship in Sydney, Australia and Zurich, Switzerland (12). He took his first ballet class at age 13 and was offered a spot at the Royal Ballet School (RBS) in London the next year (3; 6; 12). Wespi-Tschopp explains in an interview with Dance Spirit Magazine that attending RBS was a huge wake up call for him. “I’d never seen so many guys in ballet. I showed up thinking I’d be the next Mikhail Baryshnikov, and it burst my bubble. I had a lot of catching up to do,” he explains (1). Following his time at RBS, he performed for two years with professional ballet companies across Europe and the United States before being invited to join Twyla Tharp’s ‘Come Fly Away’ in 2011 as the lead role and the youngest cast member (1; 3).

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            It was during the ‘Come Fly Away’ tour that Wespi-Tschopp took a leap of faith and auditioned for SYTYCDas one of the first competitive ballet dancers on the show, not expecting anything to come out of it (1; 3). While his background was solely in ballet technique, the show required him to learn and perform many styles of dance, which proved to be more challenging than the young dancer was expecting. One pivotal moment for Wespi-Tschopp in his time on the show was the night that his mother’s presence gave him the confidence he needed to break down the fourth wall between himself and the audience and show emotions America hadn’t yet seen from him that season (12). The raw emotion and passion he showed on SYTYCD was what crowned him the winning title. He vows to never be afraid to emote and always leave everything on the dance floor. Now, he makes it his mission to inspire young dancers and performers to do the same. Following his success on the show, he has gained recognition in the dance world by receiving many prestigious awards, guest appearing in many television shows such as Dancing With the Stars, Americas Got Talent, American Idol, The Ellen Show, and working closely with artists such as John Legend, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and many more (3; 6). 

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            The driving force behind all of his success in this industry has been his passion and eagerness to grow as an artist. His experience has taught him that without the raw emotion behind dance, it is just movement, and only the most passionate of dancers elicit the best work (14). This mentality moved him to establish his company, I Am Force (IAF). IAF began in 2013 as a way for Wespi-Tschopp to offer his expertise in choreography, dance photography, fashion, and mentoring, but has since become a full-scale production compound offering choreography classes, masterclasses, and photo and video sessions (3; 6). IAF is currently one of the leading and most influential brands in the dance industry today and in 2016 began recruiting members to expand the brand into a company (6). When auditioning company dancers, Wespi-Tschopp looks for those with an emotional connection, explaining that technique is teachable, but passion is not (14). He is especially supportive of students like himself who may have found their love for dance later in life, because he knows they have dedicated themselves to surpassing the technique of their classmates who have had more years of training. Wespi-Tschopp explains: 

The industry is quickly changing in a way where social media influencers are being requested for performances and  branding opportunities. IAF is geared to give artists a voice through creative video content that is showcased on social media outlets and Youtube (6).

In the future, he hopes to continue to provide a platform for IAF members to grow in technique, passion, and experience while growing IAF as a brand and supporting his own ideals on commercial dance in the media today (4; 14). 

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            I had the pleasure of meeting Chehon for the first time in December of 2016 when he traveled to Millennium Dance Complex: Pittsburgh to teach a drop-in contemporary class at the studio. I recognized his name and accreditation, so was excited to be able to learn from him. I was taken aback when he began his class by sitting and talking with us about our aspirations for the future. Many young dancers shyly expressed they were interested in someday joining a major ballet company or becoming a backup dancer for Beyoncé. When it was my turn I admitted that I didn’t think that becoming a professional dancer of any kind was attainable for me, but since I loved to dance I went to school for Arts Administration and am hoping to start my own studio or company one day. To my surprise, he told the class that my answer was the one he was looking for. He didn’t care what we were interested in doing, just that we were passionate about it and had a plan for attaining our goal that we would be able to share proudly. Passion and confidence, he said, are the dividing factors between those who will succeed and those who may fail, and it is this viewpoint that drew me to him and his work. I further saw him embody this mentality in June of 2017 when I interned with Joffrey Ballet School’s West LA summer intensive and was chosen to be Chehon’s choreographic assistant. He had remembered my excitement from six months earlier, and allowed for me to be the intern that assisted him that summer. His mentorship has shown me that perfect technique is insignificant in the absence of raw ambition and an appetite for success, and it is why I became interested in conducting research on him. 

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            In July of 2017, Wespi-Tschopp released ‘SPLIT,’ a cinematic piece of choreography made for the camera featuring five of his IAF members at the time (6; 7). The piece, having no attached commentary of his own, uses multiple camera angles, zooms, video edits, and effects to showcase the possibilities of dance being presented through video while still leaving a lot of interpretation to the imagination. When asked for commentary on this piece, Wespi-Tschopp explained that he would prefer for viewers to make conclusions on their own, because he believes all interpretations of his art are valid and in the past they have even unexpectedly influenced his future projects (14). However, he inferred things through our later conversation that lead me to see the piece in the following light. I believe ‘SPLIT’ is reacting to the very topic he was just expressing, the competing identities and thoughts of a population through the media.

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            The video begins looking through a static television screen to a single dancer. As the camera zooms closer, it eventually breaks through the screen of the TV to reveal four more dancers surrounding the first, all dressed the same—representing other emotions or opinions of the first dancer. The dancers constantly change positions, making it hard to tell the five of them apart, and when listening to the lyrics of the music that say “how does it feel to be your own deceiver,” I inferred that the dancers may each be representing a split personality (6; 7). The TV screen symbolizes the online world our generation has created for ourselves, and the dancers all represent separate but competing emotions and identities we have hidden in our shared media and art. 

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            Wespi-Tschopp’s choreography is influenced heavily by the presence of the camera. The videography allows him to edit the dance after the shooting to elicit the effect he is hoping for. Wespi-Tschopp added a glitch effect to some of the shots and sped up some of the footage to resemble the present society’s addiction to speed and convenience that was aforementioned. In addition, the use of cameras presented multiple focus points and an ability to change perspective, adding to the rushed effect. Most importantly, though, with a camera he is able to exaggerate the dancers’ emotions with close up shots of their face or slow-motion effects that would not occur in a live performance. 

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            While constantly keeping up with the technologies of the ever-changing industry, Wespi-Tschopp admits that although it has attributed to his successes, the influence of social media and commercialized dance has its downsides. He very much appreciates SYTYCDand all that the show has brought and taught him, but he believes some competitive dance shows, such as World of Dance(WOD) are presenting sides of the competitive dance world that he does not agree with (14). His main critique of the show was that unlike SYTYCDin which the dancers perform for America to inspire an affection for the arts, WODdancers use gimmicks and tricks to wow and perform for the judges of the show, which tends to stray from the raw talent and technique of the dancer by focusing on the competition. He notes that this does not reflect the skill of the dancers on either show, and believes that they are all extremely talented and equally enthusiastic about their craft. He just believes that the idea of the dances being nationally broadcast and accessible in every American home forces competitors to strive to go above and beyond to be memorable and lose sight of the point of the competition in the first place (14).