Dwelling: The Structures that Hold Us

How can we serve as witnesses to each other’s experiences and stories to make meaningful sense of the ‘Self’ and the ‘Other’? In an increasingly polarized society, the act of empathetic listening serves to decrease the gap between us and them. Dwelling: The Structures that Hold Us is a choreographic and sonic exploration of this act of listening. Opening with a quartette of characters seated at a round dinner table, this first mundane meal scene quickly evolves into formative solos; some of which are based on personal memories, while others draw from ancestral anecdotes. As one dancer becomes the central storyteller, the others take on supportive roles. They act as accessories, as visible stagehands/dance-hands; becoming a place to sit, catching the lead as they fall, helping the narrator change out of a robe, and ultimately managing the mise en scene. The work is made in collaboration with composer, performer and sound artist, Justin Scheid, who…