Dancemaker Amanda Selwyn: What makes us human

Amanda Selwyn
(photo courtesy Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre)

Scenes from a studio preview of Refuge
by Amanda Selwyn
Above: Adam Dickerson
Below: Robert Moore
(photos: Nir Arielli)

As she prepares for her November 2nd opening of Refuge at Brooklyn's Mark Morris Dance Center, choreographer Amanda Selwyn meditates on...


...the impact of working with her dancers on this new piece:

There was one short rehearsal we had in which we developed some of the core and iconic motifs from the piece that resonate strongly from this entire process.  It was a cold winter day, and we were in a tiny studio at Gibney Dance on Canal.  Our usual studio space was unavailable. So I had to scrounge for space and, as a result, we had a shorter rehearsal in this tiny studio later than I like to work. 

All that said, magic happened in those two hours.  We explored a movement pattern that mapped out four walls around each dancer.  These walls celebrated different parts of identity.  On each surface--like in a childhood bedroom where one pastes, on the wall, posters and clippings, a collage of inspiration and celebration--each of these four walls was a movement mosaic of different sides of ourselves.  We worked in a progressive way as we often do, not pausing to evaluate or judge the creative results, but listening to the body as it moved in space, and trusting what erupted organically.

I had the dancers repeat the sequence again and again and add on new gestures, new brushstrokes painting their landscapes onto the walls of their lives.  From the creative work in this one short rehearsal, so many core shapes and gestures evolved.

These gestures have since been developed into full body motion, locomotion through space, partner work, solos and large group sections.  The impact of this one rehearsal is what brings me back to my creative process with new vigor each day--the ability to trust the work, trust the interplay between me and my dancers, the refinement of each moment happening organically over time as we truly trust the movement in the moment.

...a personal experience that has influenced how she approaches her work:

There are so many things that are strong influences on my work. My yoga practice and global travels have had a significant impact.  They both continually bring me back to living in the present moment, listening to intuition, practicing being where I am at instead of always trying to be three steps ahead, having a sense of faith and adventure, and trusting the work. In the day to day frenzy of being an artist living in New York City, I need the daily grounding from yoga, and my periodic journeys to take me out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons to find new inspiration.

In recent years, I have hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, trekked in Peru to Machu Pichu, traveled through remote islands in the Philippines, and visited Israel several times where I speak the language from having lived there in my 20s.

Another personal experience that has significantly influenced my work was my time at Jacob’s Pillow.  Aside from having my work presented twice on the Inside/Out Stage where we performed in the glory of the Berkshire mountains and the amazing community of dance appreciators that make up their audiences, I also participated in an eight-day Choreographer’s Lab Intensive Program in 2008.  For these eight days, we did not focus on creating work, but rather unpacking, exploring and rebooting how we create work.  We were asked to go deep into ourselves, draft an artist statement through text, movement, dialogue and experience.  The relationships I built that week and the collection of moments resonant in my process since that time in a profound way, giving me a sense of purpose, rootedness and a community of support to turn to in those many difficult moments.

...how dance--as exemplified by Refuge--contributes to current conversations in society

In this work, I aim to connect with what makes us human, our universal search for grounding, safety and security.  From there, we seek fulfillment--meaning and purpose, expression and truth.  In this time of political and environmental strife, so much is uncertain.  I see dance as a way to empower the storytellers of our time not simply by the allegory of the dance itself, but in its dialogue with the audience.  Dance, using the language of the body and movement, speaks a truth that is universal, immediate and tangible.  As our society advances with technology, there are, increasingly, more and more opportunities to disconnect.  Dance revels in connection.  It pulses with touch, physicality and emotion.  Dance activates a canvas of ideas, truths and passions.  In my work, I aim to celebrate community, humanity and citizenship.  I do not attempt to tell a linear story or unveil new truths with Refuge, but rather to illuminate signposts that raise questions so that audiences can make meaning for themselves.

For information on the November 2-4 World Premiere season of Refuge, click here.

Mark Morris Dance Center
3 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn
(directions)

*****   

Amanda Selwyn founded Notes in Motion/Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre in 2000 and has directed over 50 productions, developed a network of artists, and created the curriculum for Notes in Motion Outreach Dance Theatre’s arts-in- education programs. Amanda’s choreographic works include Refuge, It’s a Game, Detour, Five Minutes, Passage, Undercurrent, Hearsay, Interiors, Disturbance, Salut, Tilt, Tidal, Shift, Siren, Contradicting Unity, Save My Spot, Hold On, Momentum, and Behind Us. She has choreographed dance for Chicago’s Motivity, a collective of modern choreographers; for theatre productions including House on Mango Street, Free to be You and Me, Once Upon a Mattress, The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors, and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory; and for her original theatre productions, which include Herland, Yellow Feather, and Slitting the Clouds.

In addition to her choreographic work, Amanda has directed off-Broadway theatre in NYC at John Houseman Studio, 30th Street Theatre, Grove Street Theatre,  Kraine Theatre, Center Stage, and the Producer’s Club. Amanda teaches dance and theatre to New York City children and has been on the faculty at independent schools. She is the recipient of grants from the NY State Council on the Arts, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, the Friars Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Community Arts Fund, Bronx Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Fund, and the Bossak/Heilbron Charitable Foundation.


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