My work Whelmed Over, initially presented at the Tower Dancers Spring Concert at Hillsdale College in April, 2024, was selected for performance in the Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of the Arts (DIA) as part of the 2024 Detroit Dance City Festival.

This showing was the culmination of a two-week “residency”, involving daily rehearsals. Collaborators included Cristina Lilienfeld and Alina Usurelu, both in Bucharest, Romania, and Sean Hoskins in Michigan, United States.

In front of live audiences in each country, the event began with the screening of a new film made by Usurelu that illustrated the unique back and forth creative process conducted by Hoskins and Lilienfeld for over a year.

All three were then involved in the showing, which relied heavily on live projection of the performers in their respective locations. Themes of presence and perception anchored the sections, as well as observing and responding in a creative connection honed by the artists.

Installation created with seven dancers in the First Year Dance Company at the University of Michigan Department of Dance. The music was composed and reedited by Gala Flagello.

Content was created remotely over Zoom. We had one in-studio rehearsal with five dancers, with two joining remotely, and one filming session on white Marley.

The presentation of this dance, planned from the beginning, was on 7 TVs, each with a DVD player, inside the theater. Watch here.