Post it notes and memory prompts…I am Also begins.

For the past year or so, I have been reflecting on how other individuals exist within my body and my mind. There are parts of other people: stories, memories, knowledge, places that have become a part of me. I am myself, but I am also all of these individuals.

The incubation for this reflection began when I had to write a speech for a dance award I was nominated for. I didn’t ultimately get this award, but more importantly, I was able to consider the numerous personalities and life stories that influence my dancing and who intersect my everyday life thoughts and imaginings.

So I began to develop a solo where I tried to act upon each reference, story or image brought to me by way of these GIANTS in my life. As time went on the solo developed into a more personal verbal and physical exploration of the past. A kind of real-time auto-ethnography (thank you grad school) that has been exciting to embark on. One of the most joyful parts of this experience has been interviewing friends from college, family members, dancers, and non-dancers alike to see what memories they have stored in their bodies.

Over time, stories, movements, or songs would reappear with each practice and improvisation. I started to write them down on post-it notes so I wouldn’t forget them. It became a kind of technicolor archival system where I could see how memories converged upon each other and intersected each other.