Interested in becoming a student choreographer?
Choreographer applications are released at the start of the semester on our Applications and Forms page. For more information, check out our FAQ.
Photography credits: Jillian Roche
Our Choreographers
Meet the incredible students who choreographed for our Spring 2020 performance, "The Final FrontOrchesis". Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of Columbia's campuses, our semesterly show was canceled. While we sadly did not get to perform, you can learn more about our choreographers and their pieces below, see snippets of their choreography on our Instagram and Facebook pages, and read a message to Orchesis from E-board on the performance page.
Barnard '21
Zoe Novello is a senior at Barnard majoring in Dance with minors in Math and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. This is Zoe’s 8th semester in Orchesis and 6th semester choreographing! During her time at Barnard, Zoe has had the opportunity to dance and choreograph with the Untapped, the MaMa Project, and the Dance Department. Off campus, she works as an intern at Battery Dance (and is looking for a job in arts admin if you’re hiring..). She is so grateful for her past four years in Orchesis and all of the wonderful people that she’s met and danced with in that time.
Barnard ‘22 & Columbia College '22
Xixi and Elin met through Orchesis during their first semester of freshman year and are now an iconic duo because of it! This is their third time choreographing together (and definitely not their last *wink wink*) Let us know in the comments below what song they should choreograph to next! Xilin has a love for stuffed animals and Orchesis merch. Fun fact: they always get Starbucks before a long day of Orchesis rehearsals, and they hope to continue this tradition in person next semester!
Barnard/JTS ‘21
This is Sophie’s 8th semester in Orchesis and 3rd semester choreographing! Sophie is a senior at Barnard/JTS majoring in Dance, Education, and Modern Jewish studies. Over the past few years Sophie has spent 90% of her time in a dance studio either dancing with Orchesis or the Dance Department, and choreographing for CMTS or the Varsity Show. Off campus, Sophie teaches at the Mark Morris Dance Group and interns at the Joyce Theatre. Sophie has many emotions about this being her last semester in Orchesis, and would like to thank all those who made her dreams of wig piece possible and tolerated her shenanigans for four years. Sophie will miss the costume closet most of all.
GS ‘22
Savannah is a Medical Humanities major in GS. Outside of Orchesis, she also enjoys working as a freelance dancer and actress, and teaching dance and acrobatics (just can’t stop dancing!). She also leads her own funded research project with the Edward Hand Medical Museum (even though she likes to procrastinate on her research). Savannah loves dancing and spending time with her Orchy fam more than anything else though!
Columbia College ‘21
Sanjana is a senior at Columbia (but a Barnard babe at heart) double majoring in math and computer science. When not knocking over her living room furniture in an Orchesis Zoom rehearsal or spamming her cast group text with cat and plant pictures, she can be found TAing Discrete Math or working as a research assistant in the Barnard CS department. This is her 8th (and final:() semester in Orchesis and her 7th semester choreographing! Her cast brings her endless ~dopamine~, and she can’t wait for you to experience their good vibes in her last Orchesis piece.
Columbia College '21
Lauren is a senior in Columbia College, majoring in CS and concentrating in statistics. She has been a part of Orchesis since her freshman fall semester and cannot believe she’s about to finish her eighth semester in Orchesis, and seventh show (darn corona). When she’s not dancing she is most often eating pasta and knitting like the 80-year old woman she is.
Columbia College '24
Clara is a freshman at Columbia College, and she currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Outside of Orchesis, she is involved in CU UNICEF and Womankind, but she spends most of her time with her two cats Mochi and Kookie. This is her second semester with Orchesis, and she is very thankful to all the club members for being so welcoming and kind :)
Columbia College '24
Bella is a first year in Columbia College thinking about majoring in econ and film. When she's not dancing with Orchesis you can find her acting in a NOMADS production, advising with Matriculate, or lobbying with CU Dems. Like most sane people, she loves TikTok, Kate McKinnon, and Trader Joes. She's loved getting to dance in two Orchesis virtual productions and is even more excited to meet and dance with everyone on campus next year!
Barnard '23
Ava is a sophomore at Barnard College who is over the moon to be choreographing in an SNL-themed Orchesis this spring! This is Ava's fourth semester in Orchesis and her second semester choreographing. Originally from Southern California, Ava is now living in NYC and can be seen drinking an iced coffee from Hungarian on a daily basis - no matter the weather. Her piece this semester is a sassy jazz/hiphop number to
Dula PeepDua Lipa's 'Levitating', and considers her performance at the Grammy's to be, in the words of Ms. Lady Gaga, "life-changing, brilliant, incredible, spectacular, never-been-done-before". When not creating Spotify playlists, rewatching SNL skits for serotonin, or reminding people that she has the same birth chart as SZA, Ava can be found exploring NYC with friends, getting into heated conversations about various podcasts over brunch, and definitely not (;)) watching Love Island. In addition to Orchesis, Ava is also involved in WBAR, Barnard Zine Club, Columbia Delta Gamma, and Ratrock Magazine.Barnard '23 & Barnard '23
Anais Arguello (she/her) and Julia Tannenbaum (she/her) together are ANULIA! They are both Barnard sophomore Psychology majors. They are also both 5’1” and sometimes share pants. They also both ALMOST live on the beach, but not quite. Outside of being choreographers this semester, they are also co-costumers on board AND both participating in MaMa this year. So…basically, they are the same person. Outside of orchesis they actually do have lives of their own! This is Julia’s first semester choreographing and Anais’s second semester choreographing for Orchesis. Other than that, their lives are pretty much the same...anyways…they are both so incredibly proud of their cast and can’t wait to share their work with everyone on April 10th!
Barnard '21
Abigail is a Barnard senior double majoring in biology and dance. This is her fifth semester in Orchesis and third time choreographing. She is also this year’s MaMa Project choreographer (follow @mamaprojectcu for show updates!) and proud cat mom to self-proclaimed Orchesis mascot, Sir Comet. Outside of Orchesis, Abigail can be found working at the Neurorehabilitation Research Lab at Teachers College and testing wastewater for COVID-19 as a lab assistant in the Barnard Biology Department. She is so excited for you to see the amazing energy and joy her cast has brought this semester— you don’t want to miss this show!!