Clad in her signature loose black T-shirt and baggy gym shorts, Emma Portner is standing in a cavernous industrial space in downtown Los Angeles. A glass box—big enough to fit five dancers with only a little room to maneuver inside—sits in the middle. The five performers, Portner included, are standing inside it, side by side, […]

Can Emma Portner get any cooler? Between her existing credits (the youngest woman ever to choreograph a West End musical, that viral Justin Bieber video), her upcoming projects (a collaboration with Lil Buck, Jon Boogz and Blood Orange for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and a commission from New York City Ballet, for starters) and the […]

Ever since New York City Ballet’s interim leadership team took over from Peter Martins, we’ve been curious whether they’d get a chance to try their hand at programming. (It was unclear how much Martins had done before he retired.) As it turns out, Martins left room for Justin Peck, Rebecca Krohn, Craig Hall and Jonathan […]

It’s easy to feel whiplashed thinking about everything Emma Portner has achieved in such a short amount of time. Last fall, the 23-year-old was the youngest woman ever to choreograph a West End production (it was based on Meat Loaf’s greatest hits). This was, of course, after she already choreographed and starred in Justin Bieber’s […]

Earlier this week, choreographic cool girl Emma Portner and actor/actually-very-good dancer Ellen Page warmed our (literally) icy hearts by announcing their marriage: @ellenpage on Instagram: “Can’t believe I get to call this extraordinary woman my wife. @emmaportner” We couldn’t be happier for the two creative powerhouses, who have demonstrated the true meaning of #CoupleGoals many […]

When it came out in 2014, few would have guessed Sia’s “Chandelier” had the makings of a viral video. There was just a single performer—not even Sia herself—on a small, modest set, with no flashy cuts or gimmicks. But it went viral anyway, its simple-yet-strange, entirely dance-focused concept captivating viewers and rendering dancer Maddie Ziegler […]