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Instruments of Movement was founded in January of 2001 as a conduit for me and a diverse group of dancers to explore our individual voices. Having worked in the Chicago dance community for four years following graduation from northeastern Illinois University, I was beginning to feel the need to express my own vision. Coming from an urban background, I yearned to see the classical vocabulary prevalent in concert dance integrated into the hip-hop culture with which I was surrounded. Instruments of Movement became a fusion of classical, contemporary, and urban dance styles. From 2001 to 2005, Instruments of Movement has produced nine evening length shows presenting works choreographed by individual company member, myself, and guest artists from across the country. While these concerts were well received, I felt the desire to further challenge myself and my audiences. The purpose of my work is to reshape conventional ideas in a powerful, yet assessable medium to communicate to multiple generations, multiple ethnicities, and an urban audience who is looking for enrichment. We focus on breaking down commonly known stereotypes about ethnic backgrounds that exist in dance, and believe dance can explore these beliefs and help redefine them. Hopefully, something new is created. The last three self - produced works
that I have put together entitled Lifted: a Multimedia Ballet , Legends
of Jazz Vol. 1: Chet Baker in collaboration with Chicago Tap Theater,
and Ruff Side of the Smoothness is where I began that process. In September
of 2005, Instruments of Movement will present it's tenth show, No Surrender,
No Retreat. In this show the first half will present premiere works by
Chicago choreographers James Gregg and Raphaelle Ziemba, in addition
to my repertoire work. The second half will present an encore performance
of Lifted , first premiered in March of 2004. Lifted is a full length
work exploring the perilous human journey through the eyes of a woman
and her followers, incorporating original video and live feed projections. |
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