USA Projects

After creating 6 evening-length works with my former company locust and several shorter solo works, I am thrilled to be working on my first evening-length solo. The Most Innovative, Daring, and Original Piece of Dance/Performance You Will See this Decade began it's development while I was the 2011 Artist in Residence at Velocity Dance Center in Seattle. I spent a lot of alone time studying the way I move and a selection of my current and past cultural obsessions/influences: Hip Hop, Ballet, Ciara's "Ride" video, Janet Jackson's "Pleasure Principle"video, Cyndi Lauper, Dubstep, the broad nature of Contemporary dance, and a long/diverse list of  teachers and art heroes.  I have studied them through the lens of sampling, imitation, cover songs, mash ups, remixes, googling, and homage.

Through this process, I am learning to understand why I am attracted to these forms and the complex web of social, economic, racial, and sexual information that lies beneath it. I have also spent a lot of time writing about the nature of creativity, the often generic words used to sell art, and what makes something truly innovative.  This project is a culmiation of that research/practice. You will see lots of booty shaking and words creating context, thus providing the non-verbal part of the "lecture demonstration" structure of the work.

I have performed a short, in-progress version of the piece in Seattle, Portland, and Memphis during it's development over the past year and a half.  After each performance, I have had some very involved conversations with people about race, sexuality in dance, and the complexity of selling ourselves.  While in Memphis, the post show discussion was one of the most open and real public talks I have ever been a part of.  This inspired me to work with Velocity to create multiple entry points for conversation around the performance of this work.  During the 2 week run of the show, there will be an Open For(u)m which will include a happy hour discussion, a panel discussion, podcasts interviews, a book club event, and a gallery show of video and writing elements from the performance.

The Most Innovative, Daring, and Original Piece of Dance/Performance You Will See this Decade will premier at Velocity Dance Center in Seattle October 12-14 and 19-21, 2012.  It is the first project of Velocity's new program Made in Seattle.

This show cannot happen without the help of the following amazing artists:  Potato Finger/original music and sound compostion, Leo Mayberry/video programming and design, Amiya Brown/technical director and lighting design, Wes Hurley/Film, Jason Puccinelli/set design consulting, and Jody Kuehner/fashion constulting.   I need to raise money to pay them and to pay my own rehearsal fees.  I also need money for rehearsal space, set design materials, fashion materials, and a few small sound equipment items.