Orange Coast College part-time faculty dance instructor Zachary Groenewold was selected as the First Runner Up at the Palm Desert Choreography Festival 2024. He was one of nine choreographers who presented their work on November 10 after submissions from over 100 applicants.
Groenewold entered the festival with his 2023 piece, “we’re only as sick as our secrets,” which he choreographed for OCC students as part of last year’s annual Fall Faculty Dance Concert. This was his first time applying to the festival.
“Zach is what I tell my choreography students is a smart choreographer,” says OCC dance department chair Rachel Berman. “He intuitively knows how to move bodies around in space and constantly comes up with innovative ideas and concepts. This work was also submitted for adjudication at the American College Dance Association’s Baja conference last year and was selected for their culminating gala performance.”
On each of the two nights, a panel of esteemed judges chose a Grand Prize winner and a First Runner Up. Winners received prize money and a bouquet of flowers from the mayor of Palm Desert. Zach was honored as the First Runner Up in the pre-professional division.
This popular festival, which has taken place at the gorgeous McCallum Theatre since 1998, serves as a dynamic live platform for dancemakers and dancers to showcase their work while actively engaging audiences around dance in the Coachella Valley. Exciting original dances in various styles are performed by professional and pre-professional groups from across the nation, with winners announced at the conclusion of each performance. Celebrating dance as an art form, this unique event delivers an exciting variety of new work created by inventive choreographers and performed by extraordinary dancers.
“It was an amazing weekend watching our students shine on a professional stage and for Zach to be honored!” says Berman.