How often is an artist afforded the opportunity to immerse themselves completely in their art-form while enjoying the company of equally passionate others?
CLEaR 2015 offered many "affordances" for which I am eternally grateful. A morning to evening practice in movement, movement discovery, movement analysis and movement reflection offered us, 6 local dance artists the inspiration and knowledge to move forward in our stage of career and share contemporary dance choreography with our community. With a new sense of bravery and support network I feel the urge to face the elements of the tumultuous dance career within Nova Scotia. A survivor much like the ones that have come before me, I relish the obstacles that may or may not stand in my way and I can see the opportunity laid out before me as if standing on a high peak and peering down over the lush landscape.
Afforded by the generosity of Sara Coffin, Larry Lavender, Susanne Chui, Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, and my fellow participants the momentum the Halifax Dance community is currently experiencing will continue to build with even greater pace. Coffin and Lavender leading exercises and conversation about dance have offered invaluable information and perspective on dance making that I'll continue to use as tools throughout my career. Tracking the creative process, explorations in finding deeper layers within movement and movement phrases, questions about dance and it's making and the art of "Critical Evaluations" were some of the topics we delved into daily.
Ross Creek centre allowed us to isolate our delicate selves from the outside riff raff
Ross Creek centre allowed us to isolate our delicate selves from the outside riff raff
of the city and truly focus on the task at hand. Invaluable to the process of art making was the structure we were able to follow of warm-up, morning creative exploration, afternoon creative exploration, exploration showing and sharing and evening group discussion. Amazing healthy meals were served up in between these activities which provided the purest form of fuel for our bodies and minds to perform at their best.
Chui offered an incredible exploration in listening which is not always an innate trait among our society. These moments helped me realize that though I may think I listen, there are definitely clues and senses that are being missed by my web of experience and that I would benefit from breathing a little deeper and sitting a little quieter.
I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to work with Candice Pike on her intuitive sensitive choreographic exploration. Her process was continually engaging and offered new ways for her dancers, Olivia Aubrecht and I to make choices within the clearly constructed framework of layers and parameters. The research we explored on matters of the heart were both exciting and healing over the 5 day residency.
Jalianne Li was the other choreographer in residence whom worked with Georgia Skinner and Michele Kuppens Slattery on her explorations of dancing with the face. Their work together opened up new possibilities within contemporary dance including the relationship of body and face interaction while moving.
The experience of exploration, support, investigation and total immersion will stay with me throughout my dance career. I come away from it with a new and louder artistic voice and am excited to continue communicating through art the way I know best; dancing freely, openly, and limitlessly.
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