Mocean's annual choreographic lab CLEaR Forum, Photo by Kevin MacCormack

Saturday 5 November 2016

Reflecting on Canvas 5 x 5

Canvas 5x5 is one of Mocean’s most beloved pieces and, among many other feelings, our hearts are warmed immensely to have this piece be shortlisted for the Masterworks Prize. This is only the second time that dance has been on the shortlist, and we are so glad to see that such multidisciplinary juries and the greater public embraces the magic of dance, and it’s power to move the audience with works that are technically rich, emotionally charged and on the avant garde of exploring the mysteries of human potential, ephemeral beauty, and community.

The artists at Mocean have taken time to reflect on the honour of having been shortlisted for this illustrious award and on the process of creating Canvas 5 x 5 all those years ago. Being nominated for something like the Masterworks award gives the opportunity to think about what the piece means and how the process of creating it affected the artists, much more than a remount would inspire. It’s easy, in day to day life, to forget how important it is to take a step back and look at the community that artwork creates, the sense of being and belonging. 




“This is fantastic that Canvas 5 x 5 is shortlisted. The work that we did and the fact that so many have seen it, particularly in the Maritimes is already enough tribute. So to be shortlisted for this fantastic award is truly a gift. It is not often in a contemporary choreographer's career that one's work is recognized to such an extent. It was such a pleasure to make for Mocean Dance and without everyone's collaboration it would not be the work it is.”

-Tedd Robinson, Choreographer

Tedd Robinson, during the creation of Canvas 5 x 5 in 2012.

“As a dancer in Canvas 5 x 5 I am honored to be a finalist for the Masterworks Award.  Canvas 5 x 5 is a very special piece to dance and to witness.  Through performing it I feel a deep connection to my Maritime roots -- It has an extraordinary ability to evoke images, stir feelings, and rouse memories for me as a performer and for many who witness it, like a ‘canvas’ onto which we experience our shared humanity. From performing it in many places it is clear that Canvas 5 x 5 is a work that is deeply moving and inspiring to audiences, so I’m pleased that it is being celebrated through this nomination. I am also very proud that Mocean Dance and its artists and collaborators are being recognized for our artistic work and contribution to professional dance in Nova Scotia.”

- Susanne Chui, Dancer and Co-Artistic Director


“Being a finalist for the Masterworks award is a great honour. I am very proud, not only for my individual role in the piece, but for recognition of the collective achievement of the performers, the choreographer, and the company.

I love the joys and challenges of this particular piece, and I love being a part of Tedd Robinson's body of work. Through this dance, I feel connected to other dances and other dancers across the country and across time.  One of the most rewarding aspects of dancing in Canvas 5x5 is the feeling of truly being part of an ensemble. Without each of us- individually and together- the piece could not exist as it is. For me, this is a particularly meaningful metaphor for our local dance community, where each person's contribution is a vital part of the whole.”

- Jacinte Armstrong, Dancer

“Dance is an artistic collaboration between the choreographer and the dancer. It is the dancers job to embody the choreographer’s vision and artistic pursuit. The dancer then uses their skill, talent, and artistry to interpret that vision into performance. To be recognized as a masterwork in performance is one of the highest honors. The title comes with mastering the artistry and subtle nuance of the choreography. Recognition of this sort is truly an artists/dancer/performers career highlight.”

- Ruth-Ellen Kroll Jackson, Dancer



“Canvas 5 x 5 was my first contract with Mocean Dance. I am almost without words left to harvest from that time, that might allude to how being recognized as a performer in a masterwork makes me feel. Although I am much further from the realities that gave event to what is called Canvas 5 x 5, I am left with a reminder of beginnings and homecomings.

I encountered Tedd Robinson’s work (and the man himself), albeit briefly, while in Nova Scotia just before departing for my professional dance training. While at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre I watched my peers dance his work, and subsequently, travel to Ottawa for the Canada Dance Festival to perform in tandem with schools from around the country. I witnessed him perform his own work onstage in Toronto, and finally in 2012, through happenstance, I was offered a contract from Mocean Dance to work with Tedd Robinson, a Canadian dance icon. “A master, teaches essence” …when this essence is perceived, the master then teaches what is necessary to expand perception. 

Tedd Robinson is a master of his work, and of communicating the essence of that work to collaborating artists. Through a rigorous process at L.A B.A.R.N, Tedd developed this work not only through form, but through laughter, and through acknowledgement and respect of the resonating dissonance between each of us. He imparted a knowledge of form that I could then use to employ my body to speak; how to fold and toss the cloth, how to glide behind a veil of serenity, how to build and burden, and begin again. With each beginning we are ourselves, calling to something else. Held to each other by tradition, held to ourselves by counterpoint. Contained by what we are through form, drawn back to who we are by rhythm. Drawn back to each other, through a calling.”

- Rhonda Baker, Dancer

From L.A. B.A.R.N. creative process in 2012

During the creation of Canvas 5 x 5 I was interim Artistic Director for the company, a creative consultant to Tedd Robinson in the studio, and I have also been the main rehearsal director for the piece since the premiere in 2012. It was an honour to work with Tedd and to support the Mocean dance artists and the creative team in bringing Canvas 5 x 5 to fruition.

It is an honour to be a finalist for the Nova Scotia Masterworks Award, both for the company and for the recognition of the individual Mocean dance artists who have contributed to the creation and performance of Canvas 5 x 5 over the years. All of these creators contribute to the continued vitality living within the piece. It is particularly fitting that a nomination celebrating Mocean’s artistic work comes this season, as the company celebrates its 15th Anniversary in 2016-2017. 

Mocean has work tirelessly, fueled by our passion for performance and the potential of the creative gesture to spark the imagination, to craft and hone our skills as dance artists, and to become a sustainable anchor organization for the region for dance. Most importantly, we strive to bring contemporary dance, the power and delights of embodiment and imagination, to many Atlantic Canadian communities. Canvas 5 x 5, with all of its delightful and moving images, has been a key vehicle for this exchange, and we are pleased to honour the strength of this work and the company. 

- Sara Coffin, Rehearsal Director for Canvas 5 x 5 and Co-Artistic Director



Photos by Holly Crooks

Thursday 15 September 2016

Looking Back as We Move Ahead

I’m writing this post in the Mocean Dance office that is...not huge, but which is a lot bigger than the one we had when I started, where the three of us would spin around in our chairs for a meeting and be centimeters away from touching knees, but still close to bumping the desks behind us; I can’t help but like this image of physical growth, of taking up more space, in tandem with the less tangible place Mocean has grown into in the last 15 years. 


fifteen, though it is a celebration of where we are today and what we’re looking toward, also has a strong pull back; we’ve been digging through the archives all summer and asking everyone from the founders to today’s emerging dancers what they think, hope, and remember about Mocean. We’ve got a crew downstairs filming interviews with the community as I type. What I’ve seen this summer, and what I’ve noticed in my short year and a half with the company, is a truly inspiring and humbling growth. I have the immense pleasure and privilege of working with a group of artists (mostly kick-ass women, just throwing that out there) who are pouring so much passion and talent into this community, and in the legacy of five founders whose dedication to this company and place truly blows me away; 15 years of dreams and dedication, fun and sacrifice in equal measure, have created a growth with such momentum that I cannot imagine a force on earth strong enough to stop it.



Here are some highlights from the community reflection on Mocean’s 15th Anniversary, when asked to share or comment on a moment from Mocean’s history:

A decision to proceed with our first show knowing that none of us would get paid for the rest of the year. - Carolle Crooks Fernando (Co-Founder)

The day that this lovely group of young women came into Live Art to talk about their formation of a company! I think it must have been 2002! - Sally Morgan

When Sara Coffin and Susanne Chui took over Mocean Dance people could feel a change was coming. Suddenly the professional dance community began to grow, stay and permeate. Sara and Sue committed to the incentive of their outreach program leaving Halifax dancers hopeful for a dance future in their city. - Olivia Aubrecht

[Seeing Canvas 5x5 upon moving back to Halifax:] Some amount of that performance comforted me, helped me realize that Halifax was a different place than when I had left, helped me realize that I was a different person than when I had left. The community had shifted, the resources were available, you just had to reach out and find them. Dancers were making room for themselves, and Mocean was paving the way for that. I felt empowered, I realized that I could make things happen, I could be a part of these dramatic shifts, in my own ways and through supporting others. - Kathleen Doherty

During the CLEAR Forum 2015 in which I participated as a dancer, we were discussing the future of dance in Halifax. I was gracefully invited into the community when Sara turned to me saying “You are the future of dance in Halifax” This statement inspired in me a new responsibility to carry on the tradition of contemporary dance in Atlantic Canada. Now I view the community with a much larger lens, understanding that Mocean Dance stands for surviving as a dancer through this gritty and unforgiving Environment, not for individual glory but for the importance of representing our culture through dance. - Kara Friesen


Tuesday 31 May 2016

Our lungs push - I am still here, we survive and thrive

When we created Sable Island, it was my first big foray back into the studio since having my son. It would be my first time working with both Mocean and Serge. I was nervous and excited all at once about putting myself back into such a physically demanding role.  As expected/hoped, the work was intensely physical, the creation process was inspiring, demanding and rewarding, the finished product was truly something to be proud of. 


Photo Credits - Michelle Doucette

I remember walking onto the stage on opening night, lining up alongside the other dancers and thinking "I am still here. I still get to do this." And in that way, I find Sable Island so beautifully relatable. In the same way those wild horses keep surviving and thriving, so does our dance community and its artists, and so do I, even within this new dynamic of dancer and mother combined.




I am enormously proud of this piece. We all are. There is no doubting the physical demand of Serge's work. Our lungs push hard and our bodies sweat. In the final image of the piece, in the moment before the lights fade to black, when I am standing alongside the other four dancers, there is always a sense of accomplishment and gratification. Our bodies can do this. We can push them this hard, ask this much of them, and they respond. We are so incredibly fortunate to be allowed to work in these dancing bodies. I am grateful for this work, with its complex imagery and its steady drive, and I could not be more excited to share Sable Island with our friends and colleagues from across Canada at CDF this year.
Photo Credits: Holly Crooks
~Gillian

Immersive and Demanding: where is my weight and the internal landscape of imagery

Returning to Sable Island this year to prepare for CDF I have been reminded over and over again how this is the hardest piece I have ever done. So physical, and always demanding more- more weight, more risk, more lunge, more cells involved in the action, more power, more sensitivity, more pushing, more letting go. You have to dig into it. Peel away the layers of yourself, and face it, as Serge says.  We have been rehearsing for about 3 hours a day, but it takes me another 7 to warm-up and cool down (a constant process), and I'm still sore everyday. The muscles are working,  pushing, digging. I am thankful for being involved in this piece that is so immersive and demanding of my every attention.
 

Photo Credits: Michelle Doucette
What a beautiful thing to be completely wrapped up in, together with an ensemble of wonderful, complex, dedicated dancers, and Serge. But it also frustrates me, because being in this piece is so demanding of me that I have little capability for attention to anything else while we are working on it.
Photo Credit: Michelle Doucette
My favourite part of dancing the piece is actually the internal landscape of imagery that gets created by doing it. I like when my body is dancing, and my mind, like a bird flying over a canyon, is free to see and feel around me. I love when the imagination of where I am, where we are, what elements are driving us, just appears through the words, sounds, movements of the piece. I have an elaborate and colourful inner narrative that is my own. But we're also a herd, a pack, an ensemble. Every flinch, shift, flicker felt by all. 

Photo Credit Holly Crooks
Right now it's the morning. I'm about to have a coffee and begin the warm-up process for today. I've already started filtering through- how are my shoulders, back, hips? Where is my weight today? How are the feet? the mind?  I will wake-up the core, attend to my neck, put on some rain gear and walk to the studio. Happy Monday.

Photo Credit Holly Crooks
~Jacinte 

Monday 23 May 2016

To keep living, to keep pushing - to have courage

Before an event occurs, there is a unearthly quiet. A deep vibrational hum can be felt as forces press upon once seemingly unrelated elements; thrusting a new existence into the front of consciousness. Sable Island is a transcendence, a survival from one moment to the next. It is a place where the vast intensities that dwell inside of me can speak. 
 
Photo by Michelle Doucette, Rhonda Baker in rehearsal with Mocean Dance


Sable Island lives in a mythical place and time. It is a harsh reality of elemental and undeniable forces, that reminds me of how our existing realities play upon and affect each other. That we can be hard or we can be kind, but eventually we all compile into something much larger than I can speak of. 

Photo by Michelle Doucette, Rhonda Baker in rehearsal with Mocean Dance
Sable Island gives me hope. To keep living, to keep pushing, to keep resisting, to concede, to continue breathing, to have courage. To erase myself, until nothing but the purest of form is left. It is continually humbling to have this body, this life, and this dance. 

~Rhonda Baker

Thursday 19 May 2016

The time is here, being present where you are exactly needed

About 18 years ago I saw a piece of Serge Bennathan at Maison de la culture du Plateau Mont-Royal, and I wanted to do that work, the room was small but the dancer transcended the space.

Then time pass by, life got busy, and I did not pursue that idea.

Then about 5 years ago, Sheilagh Hunt brought Serge to Halifax to do a workshop with Kinetic Studio.  I enjoy to be in the studio with him, he gives 200% no concessions, he is very generous, his movement are full nervous system and elastic.

Then I was suppose to dance in a creation that Serge did a couple years later, I was very excited, finally!  But I got pregnant with Camille (4 now), then I was suppose to be part of the creation of Sable Island, but I had a schedule conflict with my work with Danièle Desnoyer... It is like if I was never going to collaborate with Serge.

But at last Oscar saved me, and I am replacing Susanne, because he wants her fully to himself.

So I am very looking forward to put all of those moves in my body, and mostly sharing the studio and work with Serge and (almost) all of my Haligonians friends. Also I do love the Canada Dance Festival and Ottawa, and we are going to rock the stage over there with a powerful work, danced by the cream of Halifax!

~Elise
Elise and her Haligonian friends in the studio!


In studio prep before the arrival of Serge!

Little Oscar, Mocean Baby #12 taking Susanne aside for Elise to dance with Sable Island

Wednesday 18 May 2016

waves beating my heart like a drum

Re-Visiting Sable Island:

a year later, aging cells that still hold together, tenacity persists, a deeper understanding.

I remember the poetry of images that floated through the studio, the rhythm of vocal love, the question of hanging on, and the feeling of being a part of something that is larger than me. These are gifts, and gifts that return to me.

The timing of working with Serge initially within my personal path was very transformative.

I had just returned home to Halifax after being away for two years doing my masters. In that time I had never challenged myself so much mentally, physically and creatively, but I was also always in my front brain, driving the search forward. Within Sable Island I had to transform myself into an energetic and spiritual vessel that was larger than myself. I was in my back brain, earth body, a place of deep visceral necessity and beauty. This is the magic of the piece and its gift for me as an artist.


What is the now? Well its still fresh and the door opening.

But I feel a sense of groupness that is one breathing lung versus five individual s.o.s signals occurring at the same time. This excites me, I want to feel more of this. Time and distance - yields wonders for perspective. 

Photo by Holly Crooks


Photo by Holly Crooks

~ Sara C.

Tuesday 17 May 2016

a little honesty

We made something bigger than the work.  It was about the about.  Thoughts and discussions.  One thread revealing a hundred new thoughts.  Placing the last puzzle piece only to realize the finished puzzle in its totality was but a piece in a much larger scrambled yet happy mess that may never be solved.  Different pieces/ideas when placed in tandem will certainly reveal something unique.  Endless possibilities and configurations.  Everything speaks more when placed somewhere new and with someone new. 

Photo: Rhonda Baker
“Phrases came, visions came.  Beautiful pictures, beautiful phrases.” 
– Virginia Woolf

It was a beautiful, shared experience.  Without divulging all, keeping part of our gem hidden, I will share my want/believe/wish/love statement from our final improvisation.  This week, this place, these people helped me find this truth so very clearly.

“I believe dance requires a generosity and an honesty.”

To you all, I am very grateful.
Photo: Rhonda Baker

Sunday 15 May 2016

CLEaR Forum: Generative Dialogue Circle


How do you feel connected to your peers, greater community, Canadian dance ecology and the role of dance in general?

How do you make room for yourself in the community?

Who (or what) inspires you the most and why? When you enjoy dancing the most?

What makes a great dance?, What is Dance?

If you had the luxury of unlimited time what would you choose to cultivate in yourself or art practice?   (Blue sky thinking)

What are people’s desires in preserving or breaking formal theatre format?

Do you have image of place (theatre, site-specific, etc.) in mind before you go into creation or does it come after?

When does the role of audience become part of the work?

When/how do you consider the audience?

How do we allow work to be seen more when there are fewer presenting forums and smaller audiences?

What is, in your opinion, an old way of working or approaching dance that might need to evolve?

What is the role of tradition in contemporary dance? 

If you could design a training program, what would it be?

What influences does (specific) training have on a dancers ability to adapt to change?  Do you think the training model (in the professional realm) is lacking something? 

How do you start?

What is the value in the intellectualisation of the creative process?

How do you make structure and content align?

What is the main obstacle you face when creating?

What (if any) are your tools to overcome obstacles or what are such tools you admire in others that you can identify?

What structures/organization does dancers need to make their work or to be more efficient in making of dance?

How do you approach working collaboratively?

How much information of your creation you like to share with your collaborators, at what point, and why/why not?

How do you negotiate the truth in the room vs. original choreographic concepts?

How do you know or recognize ego influencing the work and how do you reflect and redirect this?

How do you dive deeply into a choreographer’s world and still keep elements of yourself?  / Should you?

What is the value of having a “movement signature” as a dancer and when does it hinder the process?

How do you feel in rubbing or uncomfortable situations? Stay or Go?

How do you take your place and leave room at the same time during a process?

How to remain autonomous?

How to not let the work you dance in and see subconsciously become your vocabulary? 



Thursday 12 May 2016

                                   



PROCESSING



                                                        

Wednesday 11 May 2016

Compositional Charades - our creative tool prefences

Phrasing
Imagery
Clear Choices
Feeling / Emotion
Sub-text
Play with extreme specificity of body
Reveal something
Dynamic relationship awareness
Use of space
Character/Identity/Role
Space
Intuition
Simplifying
Clarity
Raw Energy
Sense of rhythm or pace
Proximity
Failure
Relationship Development
Listening
Texture/quality
Space: use of space, craft of space
Presence
Humanness Realness
Relationship

Tuesday 10 May 2016

2016 CLEaR Forum Participants

Choreographers





Rhonda Liane Baker was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1983. She is an alumna of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and has worked on an independent basis, for a vast range of companies and artists in both Halifax and Toronto since her graduation in 2009. When she is not working with Mocean Dance, Rhonda dedicates her time to creating and teaching dance to youth in the city of Halifax, while also collaborating on dance projects with Christine Birch (Toronto), and Votive Dance (Halifax).




Marie-France graduated from the Montreal School of Contemporary Dance in 2012. As a dancer, she worked for maribé – sors de ce corps and Audrey Rochette. aSPIRE, her first solo piece, was presented at the Festival Vue sur la Relève in 2015 and was awarded the Coup de Pouce of the Studio 303. Marie-France’s main inspiration is the human reality and how we adapt physically and emotionally to our environment.

Dancers



Emma Kerson hails from Halifax and is a Toronto-based independent dancer,
choreographer, teacher, and writer.  She formed Common People with Andrew Hartley in 2014.  Together they have commissioned duets by Simon Renaud and Tedd Robinson.



Georgia Skinner, originally from Halifax NS, danced with Coastal Dance until attending The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Upon graduation in 2014, she dances professionally with The Woods Hip Hop Company, Nostos Collectives, and as an independent artist in her home town.



Geneviève Boulet is a contemporary dance artist based in Montréal, QC. She received her training from L’École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal and since finishing in 2006 has gone on to work professionally with choreographers Ismaël Mouraraki, Roger Sinha, Lina Cruz, and for the company O Vertigo. Recently, she collaborated with the Israeli choreographer Roy Assaf on the solo, A Girl.  She is also an emerging choreographer who created in collaboration with two other dancers the collective LA TRESSE. Their first work Beauté Brute will be presented at this years OFFTA festival.
 


Born in Tokyo, Japan, Sahara Morimoto is an independent dance artist, based in Toronto. She has been dancer with Peggy Baker Dance Projects and was Artistic Associate of the company between 2008-2015.

Tuesday 1 March 2016

In Flight Pop Quiz and Story Writing


When you only have 12hrs to remember 40 sets of instructions…. Make a storyline to help you remember. Some clever creative memory aids; but not necessarily the physical order that will appear. 

Below is the outcome of our in-flight study session!

Rhonda and I are starting work today in the big apple, well Princeton University to be exact, on the There Might be Others project with Rebecca Lazier. This is an large ensemble open score composition directed by Choreographer Rebecca Lazier and Musical Director Dan Trueman. 

For the next three weeks we will be rehearsing with the cast of 24 and posting our updates and discoveries.  Check out this article about the project on Classical TV.



In the meantime.... here is the beginning of many odd stories.


Blue: The water story

I get in my boat and use my OAR, there is a few BUMPER VARIATIONS in my steering capacity, I get distracted by a FLAMINGO.  I take a rest on the beach FLAZEDA, CHRIS entertains us and does a CHRISTIAN DIOR fashion show. I have to refrain from DON’T HIT, I CRAWL AND SING to keep up with the shenanigans.  There is TRIGGER, ZOMBIE outbreak. 

Set Notes: No down items


Red: Matrix Meltdown and the Bear Supper

We enter the matrix to complete the GRID, but we get caught on a CHAIN, that throws us into a JENEFAY repeat, our ARMS pull us out #pulluptheanchor, BRAVO we survived! A BEAR/ or GIRAFFE comes and CARRIES us away, to LAYDOWN in their cave, TRACING out our meaty portions, but a super swift NIKITA NINJA saves us.

Set Notes: No Music

Yellow: It's a Dance Party

SINAN (Simon) comes to visit to show us his JANGLE JUMP, we break out the FOLK dance, and sexy DO-OP, and a little ROMPER. We break into a BALLET, we get a SOLO, ballet makes me want to BOX and DRAG and FIST and TONE, end with a little BUTOH


Green: composting grass – Natalie Yard Work Tragedy

WHIP IT (cut the grass), TWITCH AND SWITCH (I’m covered in bugs), stretch it out with CHORD, LEAN LINE UP with NATALIE, hoary JUMPING GREEN BEANS – lets CLAP. She clenches her heart for HEART ATTACK, DROP and ROLL, HUMAN PILE.

~Sara C. 

Sunday 28 February 2016

Reclaiming Self


By: Vivika Ballard

            In the February Kinetic Open Studio Series Lydia Zimmer, Michele Slattery and I performed What We Want, a new ‘work in progress’ by Kathleen Doherty (Votive Dance) and mentored by Sara Coffin. The process was facilitated by the Mocean Dance Emerge Project 2016. It was a great networking opportunity and a creatively nurturing experience. I felt both artistically respected and challenged and was perhaps surprised a bit by my discoveries in performance. You make a lot of your own opportunities as an independent dancer here in Halifax and Emerge was a welcome platform for growth.

            Having moved away from home to study dance at age twelve, I went through a period recently when, looking back, dance was no longer worth the sacrifices I had made. I needed time to simply live and become someone outside of the studio. Dance took a backseat. This was poor timing in my career but asserted the importance of my integrity as an artist and what I needed to do to reclaim that. It was an uncomfortable transition and a turn inward and away from my heavy history with dance. Almost like the place you go when you’re performing. The place where you suspend yourself, you suspend time, and anything outside the theatre is really irrelevant for a period. I felt rootless and afraid like the meek sense of vulnerability you feel when you step on stage. While you’ve been there a thousand times before this time is new yet again. Everything is focused. Who knows what’s to happen? And there’s a gentle fear in this.

Photo by Rhonda Baker

         But there is integrity and courage to be claimed in the focused space that is performance. I realized that going on stage requires these qualities. If you’re lost and afraid you will have to find strength to tap into that living space and it’s not tangible. It requires the heart. It’s a sensation of being alive. I had lost that in dance for a time and I felt this opportunity helped my rediscovery of that.

            The process was gentle yet rich in exploration and allowed us much artistic license. A lot of the work was drawn from our improvisation and our personalities. We played around with story telling and speaking written text to express different versions of ourselves. We reflected on how we do and do not see ourselves which felt appropriate for me at this point in my life.

            One of the unique parts about this project was the fact that that exploration continued onto the stage and into performance. I felt awakened by the possibilities on stage more as opposed to feeling afraid, tired or ashamed. Performance has a great healing effect because it opens an emotional or spiritual channel that draws on courage and allows movement and expression. I often feel a great sense of humanity. 

Photo by Rhonda Baker

            Also because the piece was in a trial state of construction it all felt open and with a sense of play. I enjoyed this as it highlights the natural state of creation, of life; always uncertain but with an unquestionable drive. The reminder that none of us really know why we’re here and the only way is forward. So why don’t we experiment with that sense of aliveness in our bodies. Let it help us move through roadblocks or transformations and let us share it in performance. I remembered that for myself about dance. That what I found on stage performing What We Want with Michele and Lydia is precious and unique and of course a work in progress; alive. I’m grateful for this reminder and the cultivating process that was the 2016 Mocean Dance Emerge Project.


See the final version of What We Want April 28-30 at the Sonic Temple remounted for Votive Dance.