Artist Statement | RITUAL, TRANCE, DANCE, MAGIC


I believe that there are many ways to know or experience meaning, and that one of these ways is to allow the linear/logical mind to give way to the non-linear, intuitive and non-verbal realm of the body in motion. This can precipitate overwhelming experiences of timelessness, interconnectedness, and ecstatic states inside of a fleeting performative or creative act.

I am interested in how it is possible to experience the body not as an object, but rather as a field or instrument through which forces of sound, light, thought, memory, mythology, ancestry, and space and time are passing. My process is closely linked to somatic explorations of embodiment, the relationship between body, mind, imagination, cycles of nature, and the ephemeral. This approach is rooted in the cultivation of deep sensing, inner listening, and the exploration of the interrelationship of body and nature. This is an exploration of consciousness made visible through the dancing form. I draw inspiration directly from the interplay of body and landscape, and the observation of movement of the forces of the natural world in its innate impermanence.

Through my work, I am also interested in creating environments that make space for what is unseen and invisible, seeking out alternate modes of sensory perception and states of being both within myself, and for the observer. Often using specifically chosen and intentionally placed imbued objects, I create visual installation habitats that carry the essence of the dance. Projected media and unexpected lighting also play a significant role in the creation of light based environments that can range from extreme saturation of light to complete darkness. Through experiences such as these I am interested in inviting the witness to perceive the work through multiple sense organs.  Along side these interests co-exist my fascination with the power of ritual, dreams, archetype, and mythology, specifically as it relates to becoming a catalyst in the process of re-imagining the way that we live our lives.

I often look to present my work in non-traditional, site-situated, gallery and public settings, where art and life have the opportunity to collide and mingle, mixing the ordinary with the extra-ordinary, the non-magical with the magical, the mundane with the sublime. I am interested in the relationship of these dualities, and how the experience of art, ritual, and life can become more culturally integrated in everyday ways.

My creative work is a blend of these sources of inspiration, in which multiple layers of interpretation and meaning can evolve. I believe the meaning and experience of any work to be subjective and personal, found in the eye of the beholder, and open to as many interpretations. In my own work, movement, light, sound, and the visual image are meant to trigger and inspire the inner life of the viewer, without ever pointing to a singular explanation.  To this end, it is the interactive space between the imagination of the dancer and the viewer in live performance that holds the most resonance for me. Through my visual and performance work I aspire to awaken within the viewer a doorway to their own mysterious, intuitive, and invisible body-mind space, with a minimalist eye toward synthesis, elegance and simplicity.