Workshop in Delft, Netherlands

Relational & Physical Intelligence in Contact Improvisation: A 2-day Workshop in Delft, Netherlands.

I have the huge privilege of permission to teach directly from the body of work of Nita Little. In fact, I have been developing methods for introducing Nita’s incredibly advanced concepts for an audience of more beginner and intermediate CI practitioners. This October, I travelled to Delft, Netherlands at the invitation of (exceptional) producers Christhy Mathos and Juliano Vendemiatti, through their foundation the Institute for Arts and Movement Studies alot of ground together! Later, I visited with a more advanced research group that has a regular Lab practice together, and introduced some of the concepts from the Institute for the Study of Somatic Communicationto potentially become a CoLab. I dare say we set a great foundation for Nita to return with a larger CI workshop, and an ISSC Training, in March of 2027.

Having the opportunity to stay amongst hosts means we get to live, work, play together: creating space for discourse, discussion, and shared ideas. These two hosts in particular are both Brazilian, speaking and working in English, but learning Dutch out of respect for the land they are living within. Given my own interest in cross-linguistic concepts and the dissonance therein, specifically as a harvest practice for more skills in attentional practices, this particular visit was rich for me! Christhy also is labbing and building out work to support small bodies being able to “underdance” (or base), and tall bodies being able to “overdance” (or fly) with more practice-based skills. This is similar to the material I’ll be sharing with Auggie McGillicuddy in Spring of 2027 in our “Flight School” collaboration!

ShapeLeaper Salon

In September I had the opportunity to co-curated a “living room salon” style event known as ShapeLeaper, with Eric Archer Dahlberg at the Lifebridge Sanctuary in Rosendale, NY. Together we brought in a group of artists to share their practice with varying degrees of formality, including a film-maker, an aerial theater director, musicians, and of course movers.

The unifying concept that I brought to the group was the idea of Comparison.

I introduced the idea to the audience at the top of the evening by speaking while gently moving with some pedestrian gesture. I taught them that their body is already seeking kinesthetic empathy - their mirror neurons are also scanning my body for difference. I invited them to act on those impulses. If they see a twist of the wrist that looks like it feels delicious, to go ahead and take it, engage in it physically. This invitation lead to the whole room being much more full of movement all the way through the evening! How fun!

I will leave the details of the evening as a shared, fleeting experience for those who were present, but share a bit more on the unifying concept:

The word comparison shares prefixes; Co and com, meaning with as well as suffix: Par, meaning equal. Put simply (and perhaps poetically), it is to hold things with each other and notice the way in which they are not equal. To notice difference.

So, in one way comparison is a tool for learning, a tool for knowing, a tool for noticing the difference between two things. It has relationship embedded within it, you cannot compare anything without an implicit relationship.

The moment that we add a value system to that difference (which by the way, lives on various scales of perceived and “real”…), then we are also adding judgement into the mix. But, it’s not there initially. Comparison is far more utilitarian than we let it be!

More on these musings soon, I’m sure. Thanks to all who attended and shared!

New York Fashion Week

My friend (and neighbor here in the Hudson Valley!) Marianna Leung has been inviting me to participate in NYFW’s Stylepointe (which she co-produces with Sangeeta Yesley from Creative Performances at Dixon Place) for years, but I’m usually not around or in town at this time! This year, I had the joy of participating- and got teamed up with a really stunning designer Auguste Dubois. Dubois’ line, Silicon Lung spoke to me, and felt so connected to alot of the work I’ve been chewing on in the last few years. So I phoned some friends. Glenna Yu (Pillow Fort Arts Center), Dakota Kuharich Stevenson (University of Tampa), Katie Messina (Rogue Wave) and Grace Leedy - and I even phoned a former student who’s currently studying at Skidmore (but has fabulous choreographic chops - stay tuned - Karina Mehta. Kathy Kearns of third.law hooked us up with some tunes that I knew used samples of Irish female factory working chants - once more - totally connected. The fact that the line was knitwear had me thinking of aerial rope - a giant thread, so to speak, so I phoned also my dear friend Nicki Miller (Sticks & Stone).

At the end it was a dance work, sure - and we were in fabulously thoughtful and skillfully crafted garments. But putting dancers out for a catwalk was this other level of poise.

The description for the line is:

In Silicon Lung, the garments represent humanity's fossil, illustrating its love, sorrow, history, and the way it cannibalizes these characteristics. They stand against the phasing out of traditional craft techniques by the swift industrialization of fashion. By merging atomic age futurist aesthetics with the craft of knitting, the ‘doomed machine’ marries the human.

Yanagawa

I got to spend three days in Yanagawa, Japan - resting (and eating incredibly) at @ryokanohana and learning the family history of my friend @yukimi.tachibana I also had the privilege of meeting privately with the high priest at Fukugonji Temple, where a great deal of incredible and important historical ancestry serenely resides. I’m in awe, and incredibly grateful for these opportunities.

Kyoto

5 days in Kyoto, Japan on rest. We stayed quite centrally in the historic Gion district and WOW there were ALOT of tourists here! Thanks to some friends, we hopped a quick rail ride a few stops north to Ishijoji and spent a day feeling the peace and joy of the city, but a little more “locally”. We also caught the once per month Toji Temple Market - a massive sprawling flea market style happening that takes over an entire temple square. I continue to be stoked about the food.

Seoul

Seoul, Korea: This city felt like life in technicolor, and not just because spring was in full swing, or because we had a super fabulous chef cooking our meals for us. We danced and played and talked and ate and thought and laughed and danced some more. We taught a 4-day workshop, but honestly it could have been twice that length. Hoping to see this place again soon.

Hong Kong

The last stop on this Spring Asia Tour is Hong Kong. I dare say this is the place where I felt the most real culture shock, and the place I thought i’d feel the least! The walled villages from 900 years ago, the roads that feel to me more like alleyways, the culture and nightlife in the new territories, the big bustle and maximalism of “downtown” Hong Kong, monkeys and cows just sort of hanging around - this place felt like a full spectrum. Per usual, the biggest joys came from the people. The dancing was delicious (and so was the food!) and i’ll hope to return again sometime. Nita and I taught a 4-day workshop through Y-Space HK, where Victor and Mandy have been keeping dance, both contemporary and improvisational, alive and well for decades.

Circus and CI meet Contemporary Dance

I have a longstanding relationship with Catherine Messina and her NYC based contemporary dance company Rogue Wave. This winter, I’ve had the opportunity to offer their dancers and choreographers a series that doesn’t exactly have a title - but we sort of referred to it as “Advanced Contemporary Partnering Skills for Choreographing”. It’s a blend of physics / safety stuff from circus acrobatics, but theory and concepts from a Contact Improvisation place. Being that I’m a contemporary dancer and choreographer myself, these two worlds merge in ways that can really add to, inform, and generate new options for contemporary dancers. We had fun! Pictured here is me demo-ing with my darling friend, Katie.

Cage Trust x Merce Trust

As part of the Roundbarn Dance Series at Churchtown Dairy, curated by Richard Colton (who, incidentally, was original cast for Twyla Tharp when she created my #1 favorite work of choreography, The Upper Room - cool!) the Merce Cunningham Trust, under the direction of Brandon Collwes, and the John Cage Trust, under the care of Jeffrey Lependorf, came together for a “minivent” which also featured an opportunity for some Community Class/Performance. A friend of mine, Sienna Blaw had posted a photo of a little calf on the farm that I immediately recognized, and got so excited that Sienna was in the Hudson Valley! Turns out I had been at Churchtown Dairy the weekend before for Gaudanse, and Richard invited me back to capture this special event, as well!

Imani x Jakob at the Roundbarn Dance Series

As part of the Roundbarn Dance Series at Churchtown Dairy, Imani x Jakob, an artistic duo that I’ve had the pleasure of working with in the past, had a residency and performance of a new work, ALL YOU SEE IS COWS IN THE CITY: A surreal, site-responsive performance exploring rebellion, ecology, and urban decay.

In this new work, NYC-based art duo imani & jakob (imani,a dancer from New Orleans, and jakob, a visual artist from the Bronx) imagine a world where cows reclaim the city—not as livestock, but as agents of revolt. Inspired by graffiti artist Skeme’s phrase “all you see is crime in the city,” the duo subverts that line to ask what it means when nature fights back.

Embody: Early Research

Later on in July, I’ll perform in collaboration with fiber artist Kat Howard, producer and musical artist Kathy Kearns from Third Law, choreographer Catherine Meringolo, and Alex Gingrow of Stony Kill Studios in Kerhonkson, NY as part of a project for Upstate Art Weekend. I’ve been researching now, ahead of travel and the rehearsal process, to prepare some built phrase-work material, as well as some scores for the dancers to dive into. Some of the themes include abundance and depletion, from the sense of climate crisis, change and justice, and some undertones of the dangers of curiosity, and some female archetypes found in the tale of Blue Beard. Can’t wait to see what fully emerges!

Dutchess School of Performing Arts Annual Recital

Early in May, the students at Dutchess School of Performing Arts performed their annual recital. I’ve been working with this studio since its’ inception in 2013. It’s the only studio that I teach at with some regularity - almost weekly, during the school year. When I’m traveling, gorgeous subs step in to give students a taste of other styles and flavors if teaching. I teach Contemporary and Irish dance, but the studio also boasts Jazz, Tap and Ballet. I love being backstage and behind the scenes during the recitals!

One is Not Enough

Following two weeks in residence with Nita Little at Wildheart Center, I performed in ONE IS NOT ENOUGH. This score-based dance improvisational piece in a sort of roving, gallery style, was set to James Bridle’s lecture on Planetary Intelligence, and sought to challenge attentional and relational skills of both dancers and viewers. It was a privilege to dance and create alongside Mandy Hackman, Nuria Bowart, Gabrielle Revlock, Cam Moreno, clyde fusei forth, Christine Bornarth, Nikita Patel, Glenna Yu, Karina Mehta, Timna Jahoda Kligler and Neva Cockrell.

Brain, Behaviour & Development

Alongside Director Nita Little, and in my capacity as Global Coordinator, I supported a training in the methodology of the Institute for the Study of Somatic Communication on Somatic Research at the MARCS Institute for Brain Behaviour and Development in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.  I’ve been supporting Nita on a lot of these trainings as of late, because we are working on a sort of “quality control “in our trainings - ensuring that we cover all elements of our material in what inevitably feels like never enough time!

As you can imagine, there’s a lot to do and sometimes just a little bit of time! After the Sydney training, we started upgrading the training document that we provide all participants to include the receipt of a section beforehand, so that participants in the training can review and digest a good deal of information before they even set foot in the studio with us.

My mind is always blown as we begin practicing the methodology together as a training group. I’m usually reminded of how powerful this material is and how meaningful it can be to so many! It’s exciting to be preparing a group to engage as a Collab, Should they desire to form, and in this particular case, the training preceded a collaborative choreographic event that is to occur in April in the Hudson Valley, New York.

With Nita Little as the lead choreographer, and Nikita Patel, Neva Cockrell, Nuria Bowart, and I as additional choreographer of our own groups of dancers, we will explore the intersections of collective intelligence and somatic, communication specifically in ensemble, dancing with the foundations of Contact improvisation as our central skills.

The performance is going to be set to a lecture by James Bridle called “Planetary Intelligence”, and is informed by the work of Tufts University professor Michael Levin on the idea that “All Intelligence is Collective Intelligence”.

I’m enjoying my time “researching” by engaging with artificial intelligence, and on the almost other side of it feels like a very strange spectrum, nature – weeding, my gardens, de-vining, my oak trees, and noticing. More, soon!

I Had a Dream About Cyborgs

Earlier in the summer I participated in T2 Dance Company’s CHOREOFEST, which was a gorgeous coalition of choreographers getting to play with the company dancers, with prompts from mentors! Some of my favorite moments outside the studio were dinners and casual meetups between the choreographers - gorgeous! T2 Dance Company invited me back to set a full work on the company, which I premiered at their VOICES concert in May. I Had A Dream About Cyborgs emerged, and was additionally shown in T2’s COLORWHEEL concert in December, set to a backdrop of vibrantly colored student drawings. Head over to this link to watch the performance footage!

Please Let Me Be A Bird

Last summer I premiered a new work on a group of advanced students using the handheld lights. In fact, the only light on stage. This fall I had a chance to reset it on some pros for the Break the Mould Dance Company’s OUT STORIES showcase. The goal was to catch a proper film of the piece so I might share it and shop it around to some other showcases, festivals, and companies. Alas, while in Tampa/St. Petersburg Florida, I found myself dodging not one, but TWO hurricanes. The rescheduling meant that I ended up dancing in the piece, which I try not to do these days, but here we are. So did I get that piece capture? Nope. Will I try again? Yup!

Big Sky

I’ve just completed about a week in Denver, Broomfield and Boulder Colorado, working with T2 Dance Company (Erin Turnbridge) for their 2024 ChoreoFest! Six choreographers, together with two mentors, set three, 24-hour prompts on individual dancers from the company. What an enlivening exchange! At the end of the week, one choreographer is invited to return and set a full length work on the company for their November performance at Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, CO. I’m delighted to share that I’ve been selected to be that choreographer, huzzah! Huge thanks to the generous dancers and community of T2, who were such a joy to work with.

Watershed

The first week in July brought with it the privilege of collaborating with Birdhouse at the Pillowfort Performing Arts Center in Andes, NY. I went in residence with this collaborative group as a documentarian (film/photo), but naturally (and to my delight) wound up doing a bit of dancing, in addition. I look forward to working with the footage in the weeks that follow to craft a little something something for the beautiful Raven White (who created Birdhouse).

MADNESS

As I’ve mentioned, I’m mentoring this brilliant little bug Karina Mehta, who I met through the Harvey school. Karina came in on the first day of Choreo/Comp class and said “So, um, I want to be a professional choreographer”. OK - um - cool, I can help with that! So recently we did a film capture of her latest piece, There is Sanity in Madness ahead of its application circuit for a little touring cycle. Love getting a few photos on top of the film! Cool, right?

Beginners, Beginners, Beginners

I love coming down to New Orleans in the summer, because I swear I walk outside and even after 7 years of coming down, feel shocked and awed by the humidity! This summer’s time at New Orleans felt so beautifully simple. I taught beginner aerial silks each morning to the tiniest little humans, then had a studio all to myself to train (I’m working on hand balancing, acrobatics, and being a flyer!), and then taught beginner contemporary floor work and contact improv! It’s nice to meet new students, and work with students again and again. It’s nice to model what training and discipline is like for them when I’m working in the studio beside them. Most of all, I love getting to travel, especially to repeat clients, all over the darn place to teach, choreography and perform. So lucky!