As a dancer, it is such a privilege to be able to be part of the creative process, perform it, and continue to perform it. I sat down with several of my peers last summer as they spoke about their way of working and choreographing and what suited them as far as what steps they take to continue their creative process. One hated the idea of reconstructing a piece and spoke about how he liked to move forward. Another, loved to look at an old piece and remold it, rework it, and see where it could go next. As I move forward, I've had the opportunity to show my pieces several times in different venues. The first time I showed Triquetra was definitely very special because I created it on three specific women who portrayed exactly what it is I wanted to manifest. They showed it two more times in 2010 and felt that each time they performed it brought more life and meaning to what they were dancing. It's almost as if their roles/ characters grew with more understanding and more maturity. In 2011, I changed the casting and had a male counterpart. Although the piece itself was compositionally the same, the meaning and energy changed. It had a different voice and yet, I still liked it.
I thought that my second piece, Souterrain was a piece that I wouldn't reconstruct again because I had such a hard time creating it. However, I was given the opportunity to show two sections of the piece April 2011 and really enjoyed it. It was nice to be able to leave the piece for several months and take a breath from it. Seeing it again the second time was definitely more enjoyable and found that if reworked, this piece is entertaining and is a different side of Project. b. that I should continue to show.
For the Down and Dirty Series, my dancers will have another chance to perform the work I've created in the first year of Project. b.'s existence. Sotto Voce, the name that Nol Simonse and I came up with for this shared program, means soft voices. It encapsulates the sense of strength both Nol and I reach for in our subtle and deftly crafted dances.
Project.b. will be showing a piece from my first home season, Moveable Feast as well as Souterrain, a dance describing the interconnectedness of our random actions, and Triquetra, a trio of femininity, family, and identity.
I hope you will come join us on July 29-31 at Dance Mission as Nol and I explore new depths with physicality and care.
