Artist Statement 

The offerings of the world of contemporary dance are wide and varied. I have thought deeply about what my voice contributes to the conversation. These are the things that together form my artistic identity.

I am invested in what is born from collaboration. The alchemical outcome of artists finding a path together. A shared wandering and discovery. When we have conversations, challenge each other, and create space for questioning, we are able to make things that are beyond what we could possibly imagine. Something greater than the sum of its parts.

Play and joy are vital to my process. Even if the outcome has gravity, the creation of it does not require undue conflict or angst for those involved. Everyone in the room should be consenting to the part they play in forming the work. We play through improvisation and exploration. We connect to silliness, rigour, and laughter.

I have studied and taken lessons from the world of scriptwriting. I want to weave worlds and characters. There should be an arc and plot points. We should finish in a different place than we started. Whether through abstract movement or spoken dialogue, we can trust the audience to interpret complex explorations.

My work is conceptual. I always start a creation with a seed of an idea held in my hand. A “what if” that I can toss up in the air and see where it lands. We try to peer at it from every angle and see it in every light, conducting thorough research on that idea. Not every version of the idea makes it to the final creation, but the discussions that arise during the process always enrich and inform what is made.

Photos by Shinji Otani, Matthew Foley, Loes Schakenbos, Sjoerd Derine, and Polina Mirovskaya