What was the inspiration or starting point for Light Shelter?
The performers. I wanted to know what was the most important thing to them at this point in their lives – at this point in their performing careers. I wanted to know how they saw life – scary, risky, full of opportunity, a series of closed or open doors? And the elephant in the room – I wanted to know how their bodies informed their experience of their everyday. The title came about mid-way in the process I think. It first was Lightweight Shelter for a Storm or something like that. I like that it turned into Light Shelter. I like the feeling of something that might be ethereal, like light itself, being a shelter. I also loved the idea of a frail shelter – something that was intended to protect, but perhaps it was porous – maybe in a good way. Also, as Michael Wall, the composer, and I continued to use How High The Moon as a piece of the score, the light motif became more and more crucial and central.
What was the process for creating the work?
We improvised a bunch all together at the beginning, so I could get to know them and they me. I hadn’t worked much with either a mixed ability company or highly mobile dancers in chairs. I gave out some phrases, as I like to do, and that let us define over time a way of making the phrase sing for both our populations – the “peds” and the “treads” (we came up with these terms together after many an awkward moment).
What was the greatest challenge you faced in making this work?
I loved every moment of the process. The room was so alive and generous. My biggest challenge was figuring out if I/we were interested and making statements about disabilities or making a dance that happened to include some differently-abled dancers.
Next dilemma was how to order the whole piece and what material to include – my pal Christine Cali was invaluable in this regard.
Lastly, the notion of how to included community dancers was and continues to be a puzzle to some degree.
Is there anything else you want to say about the work or its presentation at Bates?
I’m hoping to get up to see it and to have a rehearsal or two before the show. I was deeply moved by the opening night in Oakland last November. I cried, and it made me glad to be alive doing what I’m doing with such generous, talented people. I love Bates Dance Festival, so combing AXIS with Bates is a match made in heaven.
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