danceworks

Similar to my visual artmaking approach, my process in creating movement pieces is very yin and yang. Once I am attracted to an idea or a piece of music, I plan as much as I can, listen to the music/soundtrack repeatedly, assess every staging and choreographic possibility... yet when it comes to the moment of creating, I act as if I know nothing about the music or the concept, I pay more attention to the background instruments rather than listening to the main or obvious line. Even after I make definitive decisions, as a strategy, I act as if those decisions are "wrong" and remind myself that the only person who can be stubborn about changing decisions is myself. I like to consider the opposite of what I originally saw in my head/intended and like playing an aggressive game of devil's advocate with my own creative identity.

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Since all of my dancework experiences are collaborative and exist within the institutional relationship between choreographer/instructor and dancer/performer, I try to invite the personality, nuances, and quirks of each individual involved in my dances to authenticate the experience for the dancer, and in turn, the audience/viewer).

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While I am attracted to a wide variety of music and sounds/soundscapes, I do not limit myself to a categorical/stylistic sound or visual inspiration. My artistic style and identity is that I have no style or identity. While I do enjoy making accessible, competitive, or commercial works, I do not believe that dances have to "be" anything. They do not have to reach a climax, end with a resolve, make sense, or have a consistent movement motif or style, etc. I make sure I am at the mercy of what the work wants me to do and not my ego.

 

While I can be strategic, I refuse to regurgitate or remix general elements and ideas of dance design and culture that "work" or "look good". If I am truly maintaining the integrity of a singular piece and am aware of myself and my creativity in the moment of making, the creative and design choices of each piece should be separate and specific to its own and not based on the trends or expectations of institutions, desires of the public, or even trapped within the skill set and experience of the creator. I like to experiment with both what I do know and what I have learned, but also with what I don't know and don't understand.