Press
Praise for Emily’s performances with SFDanceworks
“Especially beautiful”
–Rachel Howard, San Francisco Chronicle, July 11, 2025
“For the second and third performances, Emily Hansel stepped in for Portner, bringing a different but equally compelling dimension to the piece. With her buzzed hair and androgynous presence, Hansel initially appeared male from behind, adding a gender ambiguity, and an additional layer of complexity to the work. Hansel, an exceptional dancer with the emotional intensity the piece demands, performed as if the choreography had been made for her.”
–David e. Moreno, CultureVulture, July 2025
“The most interesting section was for Gabrielle Sprauve and Emily Hansel, who linked arms and snaked together to the floor, Hansel snapping like a feral canine.”
–Rachel Howard, San Francisco Chronicle, November 9, 2024
“Visceral abandon”
Review of Emily’s choreography in Study Hall
“I am a big fan of Emily Hansel – her performing, choreography, dialogues on the field, and writing….I share gratitude with Erin, gizeh, Jocelyn, Rebecca, and Emily. Thank you for helping us imagine new worlds for dancemaking. Thank you for transparency and curiosity. Long live curiosity and hope, for new work cultures & care & processes. Thank you for your presence & the live experience & laughter & beautiful movement.”
Reviews of Emily’s choreography in Four by Four
“Hansel’s first evening-length event, she cleverly divided the night into three parts, each distinct, yet also reflecting throughlines. Danced by Alex Carrington, Mia J. Chong, Shareen DeRyan and Chelsea Reichert, the format was smart. The movements, captivating. Hansel is definitely one to keep on your radar.”
–Heather Desaulniers, June 11, 2022
“Hansel’s movement was geometric with soft edges guided by a sense of exploration and play….I look forward to seeing what’s next for them.”
–Kathryn Florez, ODC Dance Stories, June 1, 2022
“I felt invited by the work to follow the imaginary tangents sparked by the vast textural diversity of sound, somehow confident that there wasn’t a single “right” interpretation that I might miss by allowing my imagination to run wild. I think this spaciousness was created in large part through how the dancers witnessed one another, often with gentle smiles that suggested some kind of inside joke hidden between the seams of this formal movement….I look forward to more from Emily Hansel and her collaborators.”
–Molly Rose-Williams, Life as a Modern Dancer, June 7, 2022
“Next up – Emily Hansel offers a quartet. The dancers keep their masks on, so I settle back into this reality – presence but preservation. The two duet sections are quite stunning in their intricacy and how they move together. I wonder if the choreography is set or is this section improvised? I look forward to seeing Hansel’s full length work in a few months.”
Reviews of Emily’s performances with Post:ballet
Post:ballet’s ambitious project with Kronos Quartet may be its most inclusive work yet
Rachel Howard, San Francisco Chronicle, April 17, 2023
“The joyful atmosphere was most infectious, even if the film took a little while to get going. Quickly, it would hit its stride as Atropos (Emily Hansel) entered the scene. Make no mistake, Atropos is an evil, nefarious character, who, in this version, is responsible for ending Eurydice’s mortal existence. But it was Thiessen’s choreography for and Hansel’s portrayal of this cunning malefactor that captivated. The movement was deliciously reptilian and angular – very wrist and spine forward – a gorgeous contrast with the previous phrases in the forest.”
–Heather Desaulniers, DanceTabs, October 26, 2021
Review: In Post:ballet’s ‘Lyra,’ a myth immersed in Eastern California’s beauty
–Larissa Archer, 48 Hills, November 3, 2021
Post:ballet unveils new 'Swan Lake' production full of Bay Area views
–Rachel Howard, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2021
Press for Emily’s performance in various works
2.0 The horse is blonde, and other mutterings
Madeline Shuron, thINKingDANCE, April 11, 2025
In Full Sunlight: Jennifer Perfilio Movement Works in “Small Dances”
Jill Randall, Life as a Modern Dancer, September 25, 2022
Former faculty member’s dance company weaves movement with spoken word
By Sofia Gonzalez-Rodriguez, The Stanford Daily, April 5, 2022
“A couple of weeks before the premiere, dancer Emily Hansel rehearsed a half-hour solo in an ODC studio. Intently focused on every gesture, multilayered or straight forward, she sailed through space, balanced on the edge of her feet or curled and uncurled from the floor. Hansel embodied logic and certainty no matter how unusual an individual part might have been. The invention was rich, the development unhurried but inevitable. The whole complex work exuded modesty, embracing what needed to be done. With a huge skylight overhead suggesting a larger world, the place was silent except for the whirring of the air system, the periodic scraping of a foot and the gentle responses of the dance floor. All of it was held together by the constancy of Hansel’s breath.”
–Rita Felciano, 48 Hills, September 29, 2021
Merce Cunningham Artist Residency Celebrates, Challenges Dance Luminary
By Sam Lefebvre, KQED, August 26, 2019
Signals from the West: Self and System
By Hope Mohr, SFMOMA's Open Space, October 24, 2019
Review: 'Overweight Black Man Phoenix' an emphatic piece of dance
By Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle, June 15, 2019
Anata Project takes on motherhood in 'Big Salt' at Joe Goode Annex
SF Chronicle Datebook cover feature
The Artist’s Life: San Francisco dancer Emily Hansel works the front desk to get by