Forest Hills Dance Troupe to Make Local Debut on Feb. 1

A Forest Hills-based group of choreographers will host its first dance showcase next month that will be followed by performances in the spring and fall.

The Rogue Dancers will perform on Feb. 1 at the Genesis Society Studio, located in Metro Plaza at 102-02 Metropolitan Ave.

Blair Hotchner, the group’s co-artistic director, said her Queens Dance Workshop is aimed at focusing the spotlight on local dancers and choreographers.

“The whole idea of being based here is not that it’s just some place I decided to land after college,” she said. “This is my community, so it’s about giving back to the neighborhood where I grew up.”

The Rogue Dancers’ February performance – a choreographer spotlight showcase made up of completed works - will take place at 7:30 p.m.

On May 3, the group will host a showcase at 7:30 p.m. that is open to any Queens-based choreographer.

And another show in November we’ll be a work-in-progress performance, which includes pieces that are close to being completed. During that show, choreographers will be able to receive feedback from the audience.

“When I sat down with my choreography partner, we decided we wanted to do purposeful showcases,” she said. “So, we focus on workshops for choreographers as well as marketing, fundraising and overall self-producing. A lot of emerging choreographers cannot pay their dancers, so a lot of their dancers are their friends.”

The Rogue Dancers were formed in August 2012 and, currently, they are working with six women between the ages of 23 and 27 years.

The February performance will include performers from Dirty Soles Dance, Falcon Dance, Moira Dance Theatre, Florence Nasar and Sheennah Augustin Dance Company.

Tickets for the performance are $10 and include a free refreshment.

Hotchner and the Rogue Dancers also teach classes. For a complete schedule, visit the group’s website.