I have begun my creative month in Calgary, preparing We Three, my a contemporary dance trio of witches, for the Alberta Dance Festival. In this choreographic work I am exploring the concept of "The Wild" (ADF's 2018 theme) as it refers to humans. I am interested in the power of intuition, and the values of matriarchal religions/societies. In much of our current society we have shut down part of our mind-body connection, our connection to nature, and the sense of presence in the moment. Women, in touch with their bodies, and the present moment, harness an eerie power that We Three extends to magical abilities. The cast is a trio of powerful women: Elizabeth Emond-Stevenson, Heather Thomson, and Sarah Curts. These incredible humans, in touch with their bodies, bend reality.
Photos by Caitlin Unrau, featuring the cast
While I was still in Ottawa, I began working remotely with two of my cast members, and in person with one. The remote process involved the exchanging of videos and emails. In either case, I assign improvisations to my dancers and "taught" sequences set to the music. This work gave us some common ground, and a wealth of vocabulary and inspiration for once we were finally in studio all together. We are currently in a week of intensive work, building the choreography while the cast builds comfort working together. Next up is the ADF Creative Intensive designed to shake things up and explore the potential of the work, inviting in other artistic voices. After that experience we will have another week of rehearsals to prepare for the performances.
My intention with this work is to peel back the classic witch (at her base, a wom