Meet Yurek Hansen, a second-generation choreographer and dancer exploring the strength, grace, and grit it takes to move with purpose.
Yurek is an earthy guy, born and raised in Idaho, with a long history of athletic achievement that includes lacrosse, martial arts, and football. “Dance is the ultimate challenge,” he explains. “It’s where athleticism merges with imagination. No one wakes up one morning and shouts out, ‘I think I’ll be a dancer.’ It is a slow, painful, ongoing trial by fire that requires great endurance, athletic prowess, and sheer grace.” Yurek dances to express the totality of himself—both as a serious athlete and as a theatrical performer with a profound artistic message to share.
So, what is it like for Yurek to be a man in a field that is often considered woman-dominated? Having been raised by a father who was also a dancer, he dispels the common mythology surrounding the “girliness” of dance. “Men bring power to the dance—a raw physical strength that, when done well, is like the beauty of a dangerous panther. Male gracefulness is different from what women bring to the artform; it is often more edgy and stark—not better, just different.” However, male dancers also have the opportunity to exhibit a wide range of human emotions, including gentleness and sensitivity. Water bottle in hand, he demonstrates a man cradling someone he loves: “Deep dancing exhibits all the noble male traits like love, support, protection, and vigilance, along with other keen and subtle expressions that require the display of authentic emotions.”
What do other men think of this? Yurek replies, “Men are generally and genuinely interested to know more about how and why I chose this career. I explain that I see it as the path of the natural man, a path that thrives on instinct and the exploration of life’s mysteries; a form of ritual that was once tribal and is now art.” He, of course, also demonstrates an enviable acrobatic and raw breakdancing ability, along with his modern dance and ballet training, that most men would find impressive. According to Yurek, being a man in the dance world is being a man: a protector, a father, a facilitator, and a defender of what he believes in.
He acknowledges that his role as both an artist and a director is complex. As the current Artistic Director of Idaho Dance Theatre (which his parents, Marla and Fred Hansen, founded thirty-six years ago), he has learned to manage a heavy workload while directing his company and also teaching as an adjunct professor. “Dance has the elasticity to bring together philosophy, history, and culture—especially through choreography; a wordless storytelling medium that allows the viewer to engage viscerally and spiritually. Whether I’m directing a concert or creating choreography, I have to employ structural knowledge and spatial awareness—something that the viewer will understand intuitively as gravity.” Yurek’s educational background in architecture and drafting makes him especially aware of the development of this sort of “kinetic sculpture,” which is a necessity for both choreography and the staging of a production.
Yurek often talks about authenticity—what it means to be real. He becomes especially real when he mentions his life partner Nicole, who is also the managing director for Idaho Dance Theatre. “No matter how talented or creative we are, it’s people like Nicole who keep the whole thing going. As much as I love to facilitate for others in all the ways that we have discussed, I know that I couldn’t do that without her endless patience and dedication.” Yurek smiles and stretches a bit—we have been talking for several hours. As he lets go of his leadership face, replacing it with a quieter, humbler one, he suddenly looks as if he has answered his own deep question. He turns back and says, “I’m a lucky guy in so many ways.”
“Men bring power to the dance - a raw physical strength that, when done well, is like the beauty of a dangerous panther."