Artistic Praxis Portfolio

The Seasons is a reflection of the natural progression of the Earth through its orbit around the sun. Humans have always found meaning in the seasons and taken great interest in their change over time. The seasons dictate our rituals and the rhythm of our lives. They are a constant in an ever-changing world.

November 13, 2020

In this dance, I took inspiration from nature and from the changing of the seasons. As a choreographer, I am exploring the idea of abstract (versus story-driven) movement and I’m inspired by works of Doris Humphrey, especially Water Study (1928), in which Humphrey recreated the ebb and flow of water. I wanted to express the actual Fall, rather than the human experience of Fall. I wanted to be the leaves, rather than be a person.

I used a variety of processes for the creation of this piece, knowing it would be filmed. I used simple movements and manipulated them through editing, which is a relatively new medium for me.

As I walked and biked through nature near my home, I imagined movement in my head, occasionally stopping to pick up a leaf or kick some leaves in an attempt to understand their sound and movement. I wanted to recreate the feeling of Fall, which to me is wondrous. One piece of my movement was inspired by a friend and her experience of a particularly beautiful tree. She saw it drop all of its leaves one by one, but almost constantly. We envisioned this being created with many dancers, so I tried to recreate that feeling through video editing.