All hail the dancer…

Memories are tangible forces that build who we are. Dancers cull their own past experiences, mental states, and personal lives when meeting choreographers in collaboration. Lately, I have been wanting to highlight the importance of the dancer’s past. A past that often gets materialized in the work of the choreographer, and infects their authorship. If the choreographer is using their dancer’s bodies and past to develop work, then who references who?

Of course, work is developed concentrically, and there it is a back and forth. Without the back and forth from the choreographer the work would not materialize. Yet, how would the conversation change if we instead asked, or acknowledged:

Which dancer is the choreographer referencing?

By asking the question, I hope to expose the palpability and depth of the dancer’s process and investigate how their choreographic logic is transferred to the work they participate in.

I am Also-Monte, is a solo that exposes the above questions. Built with house dancer Monte Jones, from Richmond Virginia, this solo highlights the importance of the dancer’s past which is revealed in choreography.  Through physical and verbal storytelling, Monte reveals the palpable linear and non-linear narratives that emerge by way of the body. 

I am Also - Monte aims to show the memory of the dancer as an immediate action, one that can catapult them into different states, materials, and content. 

It is because of the abilities, creativity, life, and performance prowess of Monte Jones,

that this particular work,

with this particular thread,

was created.