Blurred image of a person dancing while wearing white clothing and headphones, with swirling light effects around their body.

Elytra

Elytra is a mesmerizing solo within a synthetic exoskeleton. The interplay of body and sculptural costume reveal transformation through resistance and adaptation. Melissa Younker and DJ Insurgent Beat Machine harness an unabashed crave for change in this collaboration driven by desire to overcome containment. Presented as durational performances, short performances and Screendance.

Conceptualized, choreographed, costumed and performed by Melissa Younker with original music by Insurgent Beat Machine.

Performance & Film Credits

Creative Director: Melissa Younker

Original Music: Insurgent Beat Machine

Film Director: Shelby Taylor

Choreographer & Performer: Melissa Younker

Directors of Photography: Bree Robles & Shelby Taylor

Cinematographers: Bree Robles & Shelby Taylor

Costume Designer: Melissa Younker

Lighting Designer: Shelby Taylor

Film Editor: Melissa Younker 

Special Thanks: Florian Alberge, Rachel Andes, Rae Luebbert, Tori Meyer & Aaron Nelson

Performance Videography: Cayden Turnbow

Rehearsal Photographer: Florian Alberge

Performance Photographer: Hailey Mae

Documentary Film

Dancing in Duration: a documentary about "Albeit Liminal" by Rae Luebbert, Tori Meyer & Cayden Turnbow

Person kneeling on a floor with green lighting, surrounded by scattered objects, possibly plastic utensils.
Person in white costume bending with green sculptural piece on stage.
Person in a hoodie lying on the floor in a dark room lit by green light, with scattered objects on the wet surface.
Artistic performance with a person wearing a green outfit and sunglasses, illuminated in green light, against a dark background.
Person wearing an artistic, sculptural garment with yellow and green circular elements, standing on a stage with a dark backdrop.

Performances & Screenings

Premiere, April 2023

4-Hour Durational Performance

Albiet Liminal

@ Sugar Space Arts Warehouse, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

February 2024

Short Performance

12 Minutes Max

@ Main Library Auditorium, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

March 2024

Short Performance

Midwest RAD Fest

@ Epic Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

April 2024

Official Selection

June 2024

7-hour Durational Performance & Installation

September 2024

Official Selection

September 2024

Official Selection & Nominee for “Best Costume”

March 2025

Short Performance

Noori Screendance Festival

@ Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) Auditorium, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Chashama Gala

@ 42nd Street, New York, New York, USA

Screen Dance Film Screening

@ Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

Greenwich Film Festival

@ Greenwich Picturehouse, London, UK

New Shoes 2025

@ Highways Performance Space, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Person in yellow hoodie interacting with abstract, green sculptural installation.
Person tying a rope through a hole in gold-colored metal sheet, wearing a yellow hoodie.
Person wearing a yellow hoodie, with hand reaching toward the camera, blurred background.
Abstract motion blur of a person in a yellow outfit.
Person in a yellow hoodie inside a structure made of large, interlocking, translucent panels with rope details.
Abstract light painting with yellow and orange swirling patterns on a dark background.