The Choreographer Behind Paris's EWC Opening: What Dancers Can Learn

Julia Wagner · 2026-07-13

### The Big Stage Nobody Saw Coming When the Esports World Cup rolled into Paris, most people were watching the screens. But if you were paying attention to the stage itself, something else was happening. A choreographer was quietly turning a gaming event into a full-blown dance production. That's the part that caught my eye. Not the prize pools. Not the team logos. The movement. If you run a dance studio or teach classes, this is worth a closer look. Because what happened in Paris says a lot about where choreography is heading right now. ### Why This Matters for Dance Studios Here's the thing. Esports and dance don't usually share a stage. One lives in headsets and energy drinks. The other lives in mirrors and sore calves. But the choreographer behind the EWC opening found a way to blend them, and that's not just a cool stunt. It's a signal. Think about your own studio. Are you still booking the same recital formats you used five years ago? The same competition routines? The same music? Audiences have changed. They've grown up on TikTok, live streams, and crossover events. They want choreography that surprises them. That doesn't mean you need to choreograph for gamers. It means you need to think like a producer, not just a teacher. ### Three Lessons You Can Steal You don't have to land a massive esports gig to apply what this choreographer pulled off. Here's what translates to everyday studio life: - **Choreograph for the camera, not just the crowd.** Half the audience at any big event is watching through a phone. Framing matters. Levels matter. If your routine only reads from the front row, you're losing everyone else. - **Borrow from other worlds.** Gaming, theater, film, fashion. The best choreographers I know steal inspiration from everywhere and then make it their own. - **Build for a moment, not a season.** Sometimes a single opening number does more for your studio's reputation than a full recital program. ### The Real Takeaway Look, most of us aren't going to choreograph an esports opening in Paris. That's fine. But the mindset behind it? That's available to anyone. A choreographer who says yes to a weird gig is a choreographer who stays relevant. A studio that experiments with new formats is a studio that keeps students walking through the door. So here's a question worth sitting with: what's the strangest, most unexpected collaboration you could say yes to this year? Maybe it's a local gaming lounge. Maybe it's a wedding venue that wants something different. Maybe it's a brand launch that has nothing to do with dance. Say yes anyway. That's where the interesting work lives. ### A Quick Word on Pricing and Prep If you're pitching crossover work, don't undersell yourself. A single event choreography gig in a major market can run $2,000 to $8,000 depending on scope, rehearsal time, and how many dancers you're staging. Add travel and you're easily pushing past $10,000. And if you're training dancers for this kind of work, add camera awareness to your class plan. Ten minutes per session is enough. It changes everything. The choreographer behind the EWC opening didn't get there by playing it safe. Neither will you.