Confinement Dance Photo Essay Series: Frames

by Christina Catanese

This week, our Confined Dancing Series of photo essays continues, with a thematic focus on frames. As our only truly safe portal into the outside world, window frames featured prominently in several submissions. Others explored frames as an adaptation of their existing dance practice, with creative video/photo framing of their movement and musings on how this framing influenced their movement. Strong lines and settings visually framed movers in unconventional dance spaces. Frames reflect how we separate, and how we exist together, in this week’s photo essay.

 

Amalia Colón-Nava
April 19, 2020
Philadelphia, PA
IDK. Quarantine

Confused, sad, scared, dancing small sad dances. Reaching out the window knowing it's unsafe outside. But, where's the virus? I can't see it. The trees are turning green, and flowers are blossoming. The world keeps turning, but I feel stuck still.

Instagram: @amalia_cn_

 

Philadanco!
Philadelphia, PA
Enemy Behind The Gate excerpt

Although our studios are closed, COVID-19 couldn’t stop our “Enemy Behind The Gate” from coming out. This piece is an excerpt from a full work titled “Enemy Behind The Gate,” choreographed by Christopher Huggins, and part of Philadanco’s repertory. We were in the middle of a three-week tour in Germany when COVID-19 struck, and we were forced to come home. The company put this video together to showcase one of our pieces from the program we were performing overseas.

The video was made by Brandi Pinnix and features the full Philadanco! company.

www.philadanco.org | Instagram: @philadanco

Video still: Mikaela Fenton

 

Asimina Chremos
April 25, 2020
Philadelphia, PA
Staying inside

During confinement, a space at home has become my practice area. Also, because I have more time, I joined an artist career support group that encouraged me to create a video of my art, with voice-over, to post on social media. This photo is a still frame from that video. Responses were encouraging. I feel like I opened a new eye, a new mouth. "Staying in" has helped me evolve. The video can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/411907806

 

Leah Friedman
April 30, 2020
Suburbs of Philadelphia, PA
Expanding Stagnation

I’ve never had so many collaborations. Suddenly, everyone in my immediate circle has something to share.

The more we’ve been confined, the more we’ve noticed how our creative energies mesh and our emotional oscillations sync, interacting to reveal new personal intricacies.

Each syncing becomes a reimagining of existing spaces and relationships.

One collaboration turned the shower into a nightmare-ish glitch; my housemate’s voice into a comedic dance; my childhood desk into expanding stagnation.

The more we see the same people and spaces, the more we think about what else we can become.

 

Instagram: @gramlessleah | @deutscheseries

Photo ft. Naomi Friedman

 

Dylan Seders Hoffman
April 23, 2020
Cleveland, OH
moving in the stillness

In Cuyahoga County, Ohio, I find myself dancing, barefoot, on my mother’s wooden porch every day now. Until March I was living in New York City, and then abruptly, the world shifted and so did I. In Ohio, I find myself suspended in a moment, and I don’t know how long it will last. Yet I’ve realized I’ve missed the croaking frogs singing me to sleep and the mourning dove’s gentle coo when I rise. I’m dancing more now, moving in the stillness.

www.dylanseders.com I Instagram: @DylanSeders

Photo: Julianne Seders

 

Photos courtesy of submitting artists unless otherwise noted.

Previous post in the series: Domesticity.

How are you dancing in confinement? Get in touch at confined@thinkingdance.net.

Since it looks like Philadelphia will be under the stay-home order through (at least) June 4, we will continue to receive submissions through May 30. Please consult the guidelines in the original call to submit your confined dance.

By Christina Catanese
May 21, 2020