Growth Redefined

Intention: I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my creative process and articulate the improvisational movement around my work, Growth Redefined, presented at Tiny Dances at Phoenix Art Museum.

I wanted a top that where I could just rearrange the fabric and it would stay. I discovered the

from the Ukraine on Etsy that sold a white asymmetrical Avant-garde deconstructed jacket - it was perfect! For the pants, I went with black

from Lululemon to add extra movement to my grooves.

We had a short run through of each dance to understand how each of the artists would enter and exit the 4' x 4' stage. Since I was doing improvisation, for me, it was important to get a feel for the marley and how much traction I'd get from my socks. This would influence whether I would incorporate any spins or mainly stick with jumps, balances, and more arm movement.

There was a different stage at each performance location. This tiny stage, in particular, had wood for the flooring instead of the marley covering. I decided to go with the intentional story of having a conversation with someone and encouraging them to take risks. To me, when someone's encouraging you, they're giving you energy and support which influenced me reaching out or creating a shape with my body.

For this stage, I focused on balancing and doing movement that would knock me off balance. There were a few times which I came close to falling off of the stage but that showed the risks being taken. I wasn't quite on my leg for balancing so there were a lot of opportunities to move through once I fell of balance.

For this stage, I wanted one more go with balancing since I felt like I got a sense of where my body was in space. I also combined the conversational aspect with my gestures. I also added in house footwork as it felt casual and fit with the music. In a showcase of movement experience, I managed to balance for a good 20-30 secs and add gestures while balancing. I was also influenced by the space because people could watch from three different angles and the balcony of the art museum.

Upon reflection of this piece, I am extremely blessed and grateful to have had the opportunity to present Growth Redefined at Tiny Dances @ Phx Art. This opportunity allowed me to further explore structured improvisation in a small space and combine both conversational movement and footwork. Huge thank you to Carley Conder of CONDER/dance and Nicole Olson for the opportunity!