ARTIST STATEMENT
I find the beauty of dance lies in its ability to amaze an audience with exhilarating movement possibilities while simultaneously relating to the audience on a personal level. As an artist, I seek to develop movement that embodies both of these characteristics. When I was a child, I became enthralled with the theatrical aspect of the full-length ballet. I loved that the movement became the source of narrative or meaning for the audience. Now, in my own contemporary work, I strive to balance the dancer’s extraordinary technical capabilities with an element of dramatic narrative. Although I am not necessarily always aiming to tell a specific story, I am interested in conveying meaning through emotion. I want to connect to my audience through the exploration of relationships and real-life situations that are the threads in the tapestry of all lives.
My work is inspired by a multitude of influences ranging from poetry, music, art, and nature. From these sources, I begin to develop my ideas by selecting shapes, words, and sounds that move me, literally, in the process of creating dance. For me, a dynamic glance, gesture, or even a breath, can be filled with the same intensity and significance as an exquisite leap or astonishing series of turns. In fact, I urge my dancers to shape movement that illustrates more than just technical virtuosity. I ask them to fill their movement with passion, individuality, and punctuation. By incorporating the individual personality of the dancer, I seek to shape movement that is truthful and organic to both the performer and viewer. Furthermore, I believe that dancing, just as much as acting, requires coaching with a careful eye to develop these nuances within a choreographic work.
I am continually interested in the possibilities of the human body and its ability to move in a liquid and fascicle manner. In my movement, the spine and pelvis of the dancer are often used to facilitate an undulating, circular quality. I believe in creating waves of energy which stem from the core to distal ends, or from distal to core. I am interested in movement of the body that illustrates an elongated tension through opposition; the resulting image is the continual cycling of tension and release as well as suspension and momentum. By shifting the dynamics of these cycles, I can create both virtuosic movement and/or nonchalant, pedestrian movement.
In order to continue to interest new audiences in dance, I strongly feel that my work must be able to both entertain and touch an audience on a personal level. I have a devoted interest to the idea of “total theatre” or dance that conveys meaning beyond just amazing technique. I often enjoy experimenting with utilizing aspects of multi-media dance such as projection designs, sets, spoken text, and video-dance. I find these technologies open new avenues of communication with my audience while simultaneously entertaining their curiosity. I enjoy creating work that blurs the line between astonishing my audience and stirring their emotions. My work is focused on the human condition: the questions, emotions, relationships, and difficulties. I feel my work is most successful when it allows the audience to feel that they are witnessing a remarkable event while simultaneously connecting to our universal human nature.
My work is inspired by a multitude of influences ranging from poetry, music, art, and nature. From these sources, I begin to develop my ideas by selecting shapes, words, and sounds that move me, literally, in the process of creating dance. For me, a dynamic glance, gesture, or even a breath, can be filled with the same intensity and significance as an exquisite leap or astonishing series of turns. In fact, I urge my dancers to shape movement that illustrates more than just technical virtuosity. I ask them to fill their movement with passion, individuality, and punctuation. By incorporating the individual personality of the dancer, I seek to shape movement that is truthful and organic to both the performer and viewer. Furthermore, I believe that dancing, just as much as acting, requires coaching with a careful eye to develop these nuances within a choreographic work.
I am continually interested in the possibilities of the human body and its ability to move in a liquid and fascicle manner. In my movement, the spine and pelvis of the dancer are often used to facilitate an undulating, circular quality. I believe in creating waves of energy which stem from the core to distal ends, or from distal to core. I am interested in movement of the body that illustrates an elongated tension through opposition; the resulting image is the continual cycling of tension and release as well as suspension and momentum. By shifting the dynamics of these cycles, I can create both virtuosic movement and/or nonchalant, pedestrian movement.
In order to continue to interest new audiences in dance, I strongly feel that my work must be able to both entertain and touch an audience on a personal level. I have a devoted interest to the idea of “total theatre” or dance that conveys meaning beyond just amazing technique. I often enjoy experimenting with utilizing aspects of multi-media dance such as projection designs, sets, spoken text, and video-dance. I find these technologies open new avenues of communication with my audience while simultaneously entertaining their curiosity. I enjoy creating work that blurs the line between astonishing my audience and stirring their emotions. My work is focused on the human condition: the questions, emotions, relationships, and difficulties. I feel my work is most successful when it allows the audience to feel that they are witnessing a remarkable event while simultaneously connecting to our universal human nature.
