SHIFT
SHIFT emboldens the capacity for triumph through the exploration of personal pasts. In this place of raw, and perhaps even wild, inquiry, it becomes possible for a catalytic moment of hope to be found amidst the most banal of occurrences.
I gathered memories, rituals and practices that exist within the rigorous polarity of highly conceptual and deeply physical work. I set up a laboratory to abandon thought, to move wildly, to act from impulse and to create instinctively. This practice exposed passionate and volatile moments that were crafted, measured and cooled to create a rich and layered piece of theater.
In response to a challenge of investigating my existing body of work, I collaborated with Courtney Baron, Sarah Konner and Stephanie Mas to make a six minute women's quartet. Over the course of two days (working for two hours each evening), we explored our shared history within the worlds of WITNESS (2009-2013) and RIFT (2011-2012). Conversation around independence and community prompted improvisations both together and apart. We each created solo responses to this dredging of past collaborative projects - which were intertwined in this new, short sweet dance.
In response to a challenge of investigating physical extremes and the idea of transformation, I gathered a group of performers on an overcast Sunday morning in Queens NY. Over an intimate gathering of bagels and cream cheese, we discussed Newton's law of motion; gaseous, liquid & solid states of water; catalytic events such as plane crashes and passionate love affairs; durational explorations of ecological transformations (as in a continuous drip of water from the top of a cave that eventually bores a hole in the rock below); static versus frantic / still versus wild & vibrant; and the interplay between these occurrences in daily human existence. We transitioned to the alleyway behind my apartment to engage with these ideas in a physical manner. The resulting four minute exploration was created in two hours under the sun. The collaborators include Nico Brown, John Hoobyar, Joey Loto, Matt Reeves and Colette Krogol.
A final version of SHIFT (not available on video) was performed on Thursday January 15, 2015 by Emmakate Geisdorf, Lindsay Head and I will perform at The Green Building as part of GAP's First Look series.