Zodiaque Dance Company: Interview with Choreographer Kurt Adametz

Zodiaque Dance Company’s (ZDC) 51^st Fall Program opens next week, running October 23 – 26, 2025 at UB Center for the Arts! Tickets are only $10-$25: https://www.ticketmaster.com/zodiaque-dance-tickets/artist/836688

Faculty dance instructor Kurt Adametz, originally from Northampton, MA, is a dancer, educator, and choreographer currently based in Buffalo, NY. Upon receiving his BA in Hispanic Studies from Wheaton College in Boston, Kurt was offered a full scholarship to train at the Giordano Dance School in Chicago. He went on to dance for Giordano II, as well as appearing as a Principal Dancer for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and as a guest artist with several other Chicago dance companies.

In 2010, Kurt moved to Buffalo to dance for the Jon Lehrer Dance Company (JLDC) for eight years, including five as Rehearsal Director. His work with JLDC allowed him to perform and teach at esteemed institutions across the United States, as well as in Europe and Russia. Before retiring from performance, he worked as a dancer and aerialist for Holland America Cruise Lines. In addition to his work at University at Buffalo, Kurt teachers at several other studios, while also traveling nationally to teach and choreograph for students of all ages.

Have you choreographed for ZDC before? If so, what were those works like, and how does this new piece compare or contrast with them?

I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to choreograph for ZDC for the past four seasons in a row, including this one. My works are always generally in the jazz idiom, but I do like to blend my jazz roots with more contemporary movement as well. This season’s piece is definitely more of a contemporary approach, and I think it demonstrates a broader range for myself and the dancers.

What’s the typical timeline for developing and rehearsing a new piece with ZDC from start to finish?

Each choreographer for ZDC is given 18 hours of rehearsal time, spread over several days. Personally, I used all those 18 hours this season. That allowed me plenty of time to create with the dancers, train and rehearse them so they fully understand the movement and its style and quality, and make sure everyone walks away from the process feeling good about what we’ve created.

When you begin choreographing for students, what usually sparks your creative process? Do you start with a concept, a piece of music, or something else?

More often than not, I’m inspired by a piece of music. I may go into the initial planning stages with a very vague idea of how I want the piece to feel (big and percussive versus light and smooth, uplifting and energetic versus dark and moody, classically styled versus more contemporary, etc.), but it will always be the music that seals the deal for me in the end. I base my movement and its quality on the music it’s performed to so that there’s always a relationship between the music and the movement. I usually let the choreography be inspired by the music itself.

How much of your choreography is mapped out before rehearsals begin, and how much evolves through collaboration with the dancers? How do you decide on the movement style or vocabulary?

I’m definitely a pre-planner! I wish I could be one of those off-the-cuff choreographers, but I really do like to go in with at least a few solid ideas to start with. I’ll usually begin with a few phrases of choreography that we can then build from. I do let a good portion of the choreography happen organically in the process as well though. It’s amazing to have dancers like the ones in ZDC that are so willing to be a part of the creative process, and I know I can depend on them to bounce ideas off and really play with the dance-building process.

Would you describe your piece for Zodiaque as narrative-driven, abstract, or somewhere in between? What themes or ideas are you exploring through the movement?

I’d say this piece is more conceptual than narrative. The piece is called “Groupthink”, and I wanted to play around with the idea of the psychological concept of the same name. It’s not an overly heady piece though. The concept was more of a guide than a plotline I felt I needed to stick to. If someone in the audience watches the piece and thinks to themselves “I get it!” then great! But if not, that’s perfectly fine too, as long as they walk away feeling something. To me, that’s what dance and art is all about.

What drew you to choreography in the first place? Are there choreographers whose work has especially influenced or inspired you?

I think I was drawn to choreography because it’s a really special form or expression and communication. I had a long performing career, and I’ve always loved performing and being on the stage myself. Choreographing for the next generation of professional dancers seemed like the most appropriate next step for me. I love getting to share my vision with dancers and audiences.

As far as influences go, I think I’m, in a way, influenced by everyone I learned from and who informed my own professional development as a dancer. Coming from a concert jazz dance background, I know I definitely model my own dances after the ones I was able to learn and perform. I’m absolutely influenced by my time dancing with both Giordano Dance Chicago II, and the Jon Lehrer Dance Company, not only with how I approach movement, but also with how I stage the pieces themselves visually.

We interviewed ZDC company member Nathan Eck about his role in your piece—can you share a bit about how he fits into the work and what his contribution brings to it?

Nathan’s a powerhouse. This piece in particular demonstrates an incredibly broad range of movement styles and qualities, and Nathan embodies all of it beautifully. He’s a true professional in the studio and onstage and I’m lucky to have gotten to work with him during his time with ZDC.

Do you feel that choreography and dance have become more prominent in popular culture over the past decade? Why or why not?

Absolutely. Dance is at the forefront of pop culture these days. It’s everywhere and people are really starting to see the value of it in the mainstream. I think what’s pushed its popularity so much over the past decade is how accessible it’s become. Social media has brought dance into everyone’s lives, and it’s letting more and more people connect to it in their own way. That opens the door for professional dance to find its prominence in a bigger way. Young people are seeing that they can have really amazing, valid (and valued) careers as dancers and choreographers in whatever way they’d like. Personally, I love that dance is everywhere now. It’s art and it’s entertainment and it should be for everyone.