Meet Conner Horak-Flood | Co-Director of The Soda Shop Movement Company, Rehearsal Director and CCB2 Director of CCBallet Northern Colorado

We had the good fortune of connecting with Conner Horak-Flood and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Conner, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I knew I wanted to start my own dance company a few years into my performance career. A good chunk of my professional career was at contemporary ballet companies, which involved creating new works with different choreographers. Typically, this involves collaboration where, as a dancer, I make suggestions or am allowed to follow my impulses to see if they’re in line with where the choreographer wants to go in their work. Many times, my ideas and impulses aren’t chosen in lieu of something else the choreographer prefers, so I found myself with creative energies and ideas with no outlet. I figured I’d channel them into my own choreography; after all in art there are no wrong answers, just different tastes and viewpoints. I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring.

I also felt the need to have my own company because I quickly discovered I needed a specific creative environment. I work best with dancers with whom I’ve work with consistently and can trust, as well as a home to build a brand, not just an artistic voice. If I’m going to be this high maintenance, I need to build what I want from scratch. I was lucky enough to meet my co-director Jenna Smith and her vision shared my own, so we were able to build a company, now called The Soda Shop Movement Company, from the ground up.

I’m also approaching my mid-30’s which, for a dancer, is the time when we typically transition to more directorial or administrative work. Rarely does a dancer continue their performance career past age 40 because it’s just so hard on the body. So while I am still dancing and doing projects, The Soda Shop is part of my transition into a different aspect of the work. I am also the new Rehearsal Director and Second Company Director for Canyon Concert Ballet/ Ballet Northern Colorado, where I get to be involved in other’s artistic process and pass down some of the knowledge I’ve accumulated (the hard way) to the next generation of dancers.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am always obsessing over story. Storytelling is everything. I’ve always been an avid reader and writer and so I like to develop a “character’s” motivations in the choreography to inform their movement as an author would. A narrative doesn’t have to be plot- driven or linear. It can be purely an emotional arc, but I believe there is always an arc regardless of how avant- garde or experimental a work is. As a choreographer, I work to be aware of the narrative arc so I can consciously choose to control it or let it fly off on its own. It takes true creativity as well as discipline to execute this successfully and I try for it everyday.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Fort Collins is a growing arts and culture spot! Hit up the Museum of Art, Museum of Discovery, and Center of Creativity. Check out awesome independent bookstores: Bookstore on the Square and Perelandra Bookshop at Wolverine Farm. They put Am*zon to shame. There’s also the classics: College Ave. and exploring The Square. But I’d most recommend catching a local, world-class art performance right here in town– no need to go to Denver or NYC!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband, Evan Flood, is the best person I know and I’m lucky my parents are super supportive.
My co-director Jenna Smith is a total boss and a “tour-de-force.” Seriously, interview her!
The Fort Collins and Colorado dance community has been amazing.

Website: https://sodashopmovementcompany.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soda_shop_movement_company/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SodaShopMovement

Image Credits
– Solara Clark Creative
– Jackie Nunnally (Simply Sonder)
– Machmer Media