JULY FEATURED ARTIST at The Field NYC!

The Field NYC is a non-profit that serves artists of all ilk making work in the USA. It is totally awesome - it provides funding opportunities, workshops, resources, and more to artists. It also provides fiscal sponsorship, which means that artists can receive tax-deductible contributions and payments for their work as though they are non-profit agencies, thereby lightening the tax load and basically making the whole art-business more legitimate. And I am their featured artist of the month! Check out the interview here, or read below!

I am…
A dance-maker, performer, teacher, and student

I’m inspired by… 
The people who have come before me - back to the first humans to ever walk upright – and by the generations yet to come. I am inspired by the fact that dance has always held an important role in connecting people to themselves, each other, the world, and the cosmos. I am inspired by the endless wealth of ways that different bodies move as they seek to lead fulfilling lives.

I’m proud of… 
Championing the voices of local dance-makers in Durham NC by producing shows, cofounding an organization that curates a season of dance, and working with theater companies to bridge the theater and dance communities.

My goals are…
To hear the ancient wisdom of the body; to learn how to transmit a visceral sensation to others through dancing; to adventure places outside of prescribed roles and movement patterns; and to keep a good sense of humor while at it.

How does The Field help you? 
I'm excited to be a Fiscally Sponsored Artist at The Field! This allows me to fundraise and apply for grants with the backing of an incredible organization. 

Any advice for fellow artists? 
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” - Samuel Beckett

Couch photo by Noah Rosenblatt-Farrell. Field photo © Nicola Bullock. Mustache photo by Mayra Wallraff.

At various points in my life, creativity has been as allusive to me as respectable behaviour is to the current president elect. To name a time, the past two years. Because of a few things that happened a few years ago which kind of killed my desire to be in a dance studio, to collaborate or dance with others, and to take artistic risks, I've shied away from creation. Deep in the turmoil of self-doubt and distrust, the very idea of making a piece about something I cared about was way too threatening to attempt. I tried to not-care about what I made, but it's really hard to care about making something you're trying to not-care about. Despite this confusion, I kept putting myself in the way of dance - at residencies, onstage, and as a dance teacher - and I even cited it as one of the main reasons I moved to Berlin this summer. So why have I kept inserting dance into my life, and vice versa? A dash of masochism, a lot of stubbornness, and some faith that this block won't last forever. But since it hasn't budged in awhile, I decided to document what happens in the studio when I go in when I'm creatively blocked. What happens in the film "Creative Block" is that my ego, in its drive to make art that everyone will think is good, takes control. My not-ego then tries all sorts of things to try to get past it: repetition, yelling, and emotional self-manipulation are some of its tactics - which creates an awkward and uncomfortable amalgam of creative expressions that I recorded. Far from what I've always been taught is "good," this piece is about moving through, instead of trying to avoid, the crap that the ego puts in front of us.