Activations + Experiences
These are not just events.
They are designed experiences where movement becomes a tool for connection, visibility, storytelling, and transformation.
Community + Ecosystem Activation
In-Person Event
Hosted annually for seven years, this event brought together hundreds of dancers, teachers, directors, and collaborators from across the region.
Challenge
Portland’s dance community is rich with talent but often fragmented across styles, studios, and organizations. Dancers need opportunities to meet collaborators, practice auditioning, and connect with those who hire. Simultaneously, independent choreographers, artistic directors, and talent agencies need ways to discover the breadth of local talent.
Approach
Create an annual citywide gathering that combines the structure of an audition with the energy of a dance festival and the openness of a networking event.
Activation
Part audition, part networking experience, the event became a key meeting point for Portland’s dance ecosystem helping dancers build confidence, expand networks, and discover opportunities while bringing the community together across disciplines.
Executive Team Activation
Ticor Title
The Ask
Create a team-building experience that reveals a more human, playful side of leadership.
The Approach
Over four weeks, I worked with the executive team to build a choreographed piece rooted in accessibility, humor, and shared risk-taking. The process was designed not just to teach movement, but to create trust, presence, and collective ownership.
The Activation
Executives surprised employees across multiple office locations—performing the dance in business suits and oversized hamster heads, then handing out candy.
The Impact
A moment of unexpected joy that traveled across the company—breaking hierarchy, shifting perception, and creating a shared internal story.
“Talk about Creative and Out-of-the-Box! Emily Running is exactly that and she brought her energy and talents to our organization! For years we have contracted with Emily to teach our Management Team a choreographed dance routine. We then performed it for (and surprised and energized) our entire operation! It was memorable and a great glimpse of "another side of management" that our team really appreciated. Any occasion will do...Halloween, Retirement, Company Party, etc...Give Emily a call!”
-Alan Burton, Ticor Title
National Conference Flash Mob
Audigy Group
The Ask
Design a unifying experience that could engage both local and national teams and activate presence at a large industry conference.
The Approach
I choreographed a custom piece and taught it to the local team, while also creating a filmed version for remote offices across the country allowing widespread participation and alignment.
The Activation
At a national conference in Las Vegas, the music began and without announcement, the entire team rose into a synchronized flash mob, surprising both their peers and the broader conference audience.
The Impact
A shared moment of visibility and cohesion across a distributed company—turning internal culture into a public-facing experience.