PORTFOLIO
Mothership: Dances of the Fluid Feminine
Mothership: Dances of the Fluid Feminine was an artistic investigation into the aging processes of women. Seven women, performing and visual artists, ranging in age from 25-82 collaborated under my direction to create performance and a photography exhibition based on the questions, fears and mysteries of growing older. The performers were Florence Schauffler, Ruth Waddell, Jennifer Schauffler-Vircsik, Jayne Lee, Delisa Myles and Breanna Rogers. Miana Grafals was the project photographer and created an exhibition which toured with the performance. I was awarded an Artist Project Grant from Arizona Commission on the Arts to tour Mothership throughout Arizona in 2002-2004.
Flourish Before the Flood
Flourish Before the Flood is a site-specific performance event sponsored by Tsunami on the Square, Prescott, Arizona’s annual performing arts festival. Flourish is the opening event for the festival and takes the audience on a journey along the banks of Granite Creek as it runs through the center of Prescott. In this performance the public greenways are transformed into a setting for myth and magic to unfold. Flourish was funded by New Belgium Brewing Company and Arizona Commission on the Arts.
New Leaf
New Leaf was a commissioned duet I choreographed for artists John and Ruth Waddell to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. It involved months of improvising together, noticing the patterns of relation that John and Ruth gravitated towards and creating a framework that allowed them to explore new territory through movement. New Leaf was featured in Utne Reader, Contact Quarterly and Movement Research Journal.
Bridge Walk
Bridge Walk was a collaboration with New York City-based photographer Miana Grafals. It was a simple score involving a slow continuous walk along the length of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Devil’s Apples
Devil’s Apples was a collaboration with Butoh artist Mizu Desierto that delved into the revolving archetypes of virgin, mother and whore. It explored the repressions and shameful connotations that often accompany female sexuality. It asked these questions: What parts of ourselves do we lock away? What masks do we wear to survive? Devil’s Apples was performed in 2005-2007 in experimental dance and theatre venues throughout the southwest and northwest US.
Dance Down River
Dance Down River was a Human Nature Dance Theatre project directed by choreographer and river guide, Jayne Lee. Seven dancers with guides and technical crew went on an 18 day raft trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in fall of 2007. The premier of Dance Down River film was held at NAU Cline Library in April 2009.
Argentine Tango
Argentine Tango is a fairly new addition to my dance path. It was the pure male/female exchange, the roles of lead and follow with certain perimeters that first attracted me to the dance. There is an exquisite sense of listening that comes with this improvisational dance form, a conversation of rhythm and stillness, of play with the music and with one’s partner that invites intimacy and connection. In the summer of 2008 I spent three months with my dance partner Earl Duque in New York City studying with some of the top tango teachers in the city. Earl and I teach tango basics in both Prescott and Flagstaff. See Calendar for classes and workshops with visiting teachers.
