13 Young Choreographers

Kyle Hanagami

“I feel like the one thing I was brought into this world to do is choreograph,” Kyle Hanagami says. His millions of YouTube fans couldn’t agree more. The 28-year-old phenom has crafted a style that ranges from hard hip hop to slow, sensual street jazz. He’s got a flair for telling stories through movement on camera—whether it’s a tale of lifelong friendship (his incredibly sweet video set to “Boom Clap”) or heartbreak and forgiveness (his poignant take on “Say Something”). During the past year, Hanagami has also produced a new series, “Making Moves,” for his YouTube channel, which gives viewers a peek at the choreographic process behind each of his videos and the lives of the dancers he’s closest to.  

  

Ellenore Scott
Before she started choreographing, Ellenore Scott had quite the performance resumé: A Top 4 dancer on “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 6, she’d also danced alongside Janet Jackson and on TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and “Smash.” But she felt something was missing. “Choreographer Josh Bergasse asked me to help with pre-production for an episode of ‘Smash,’ ” says Scott, now 24. “When I realized I was more excited about that process than being on TV, I knew it was time to shift my focus to choreography.” In 2012, Scott started her own company, ELSCO Dance, which performed in L.A., NYC and at the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival this year.

  

Andrew Bartee
Technically speaking, Andrew Bartee has been a choreographer since he was a little kid. “I’ve always been interested in making things—and I’ve always been really bossy,” says the former Pacific Northwest Ballet corps member. “I used to create dances for my little brothers and force them to perform for my parents in the backyard.” These days, Bartee’s dances are a little more high-profile: He made arms that work for PNB in 2012, has choreographed several pieces for Seattle-based contemporary company Whim W’Him and has experimented with site-specific works, using beaches and mountaintops as his stages.

  

Megan Batoon

Twenty-three-year-old hip-hop choreographer Megan Batoon is taking the internet by storm. Her YouTube channel boasts over 200,000 sub-scribers and 10.5 million views, thanks to the impeccable musicality and flair for humor that make her videos so addictive. The Florida native first started making waves in 2011, when her choreography for the former Collaboration Kids Dance crew took home first place at Prelude South Urban Dance Competition—sending the all-female crew to Hip Hop International in Las Vegas. In 2012, hip-hop company/competition World of Dance hired Batoon to host its online news show, #WODWeekly, read more...