“Since 1987 I have been working
to create doors for the audience into this inherently
abstract, and uniquely valuable, art form of dance. Whether
incorporating written text as an entry into a work’s
meanings, or experimenting with unusual uses of music
within the medium of dance, my primary commitment is to
dancing itself—extravagant, potent, mysterious dancing.
What was imparted to my from my time with Merce Cunningham’s
company was the puzzle: How do you get to meaning—in
art, and in life? I have explored this question throughout
my choreographic career.
Though my dances employ aspects of narrative, often through
the use of projected text or fragments of dramatic, emotionally-charged
music, I use these strategies to open aspects of my creative
process to the audience and to keep the viewer engaged,
both on a conscious and unconscious level. My hope is
that while so engaged, the audience will experience the
deepest meaning of the dance—which is the dancing
itself.
My recent use of projected video is the latest evolution
in my experiments juxtaposing non-dance texts with the
onstage dance action. My aim is to engage the viewer with
a layered sensory experience and provide multiple potential
points-of-view, both figuratively and literally. I’m
interested, here, in the role of perspective and vantage
point, and the necessarily limited and tentative nature
of meaning-making. Throughout, I’m obsessed with
the particular kinds of meaning—sensual, perceptual,
ontological—that dance can provide.
My work reflects the influence of my study of innovative
somatic approaches to movement, my previous study of ballet,
and, especially, my at times almost fanatic appreciation
of the work of the Wooster Group, Jeff Weiss, Ethyl Eichelberger,
John Jesurun and other favorite theater artists (films,
too). I like performance that walks the tightrope between
looking at “the thing” and, simultaneously,
being “the thing”—between an analytical
cool and heart-on-sleeve expression. I’m attracted
to the daringly experimental and the theatrically powerful.
And to subtle virtuosity, elegance and humor.”
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