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By Nicole Harris
Learn more about NACHMO and take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge by following us on Instagram! Nicole Harris: This is your third NACHMO which means it’s Collective Moment’s second birthday this month! What have you learned through the process of starting a company? What are your goals moving forward? Kaylee Mahan: I am so excited for our second birthday month and am so excited to share it with you all!!! I have learned so many incredibly things.
N: You were part of the aMaSSiT program in 2022 (alongside Circe, Lila, Tess, and Soumya who are also part of NACHMO this year!). The piece you created has developed quite a bit since then. Can you talk a bit about your choreographic journey from aMaSSiT to now? When did you feel most successful? What are you looking for to keep your momentum going into 2023? KM: Man oh man - first and foremost being apart of aMaSSiT was and is still one of the best experiences of my life, as a person, choreographer, dancer! I found community, happiness, and good healthy dance connections! It was so lovely to be in a shared space of artists of all styles and just share! As for my choreographic journey - I’ve taken a lot of time and put more thought into recent works, allowed myself to really slow down with some movement and approaches. I’m honestly not to sure where I have felt most successful - thats one that I think I have to ponder on! To keep my momentum going into 2023 I think is to just really keep diving into making connections and communication with my fellow artists! To create and move for nothing else other than to just move - I’m really excited to follow the daily prompts of NACHMO - i enjoy being able to follow along prompts and see what comes up and out of it.  By Nikki Lee N: The piece you made for aMaSSiT was a solo and has since included more people. Can you talk about the process of development, especially with the topic being so personal for you? KM: he original work I envisioned expanding from aMaSSiT didn’t happen in the way I expected - I shifted it towards a duet which I hope to eventually grow into a possible evening length work from duet - group slowly continuously adding people in as the work progresses. I feel very fortunate to be surrounded around people who get being human and allow the space and room for it . I originally looked at the duets I was making as if they had nothing to do with the original solo, which I’ve come to be entirely incorrect in that I just didn’t see their embrace yet, if that makes any sense at all! N: You live in Worcester and frequently make the trek back and forth to Boston/Somerville/Cambridge for rehearsals and performances. How can programs like NACHMO Boston better serve artists who live in the middle of the state, not just in the greater Boston area? KM: Personally I don’t mind the drive but it is often quite a trek! I think maybe keeping in mind when scheduling events that some artists may being driving an hour plus back, sometimes late at night. It’s a choice that I choose to make but in reflecting to see if I had anything valuable to share, and thats something I think! However scheduling is so difficult…!
N: Monkeyhouse and NACHMO Boston believe that we wouldn’t be here without the support of our community. Who is one of your favorite local choreographers and why?
KM: JUST ONE! Oh my goodness well I’d like to name a few if able and you can pick and choose if you’d like, in no order what so ever: I saw these two separate artists work at a show that we were in together this past July, I believe, and I often think about how lovely it was to see their creations. Core memory made! Pearl Young: insta @pearlyoung21 Brett Bell: insta @bmbe11 Also: Tess Saoirse Liddy @tess.saoirse Gwen McGovern @gwen_mcgovern
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By Nicole Harris
Learn more about NACHMO (including where you can see Brett’s work in early March!) and take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge by following us on Instagram! N: This is your third NACHMO, making you a pro! Do you have any advice for first time participants or artists who have felt nervous about taking the challenge?
Brett Bell: GO FOR IT. We have the control and at times only hold ourselves back from exploring our potential as artists. This is your chance to experience a new adventure. N: Despite this being your third time with us, this is the first time that you will be creating a solo for yourself during NACHMO. What made you make that decision? What does it feel like to be working on your own? BB: The past year I've sat with myself and did a check-in. The decision came about after reconnecting with my faith. I started looking into what matters to me as an artist, while pushing myself to explore my deeper connection to movement. My inspiration comes from recent time spent in church. It feels scary to do this by myself, but I know my community of friends and family keep me from truly feeling alone. N: Monkeyhouse and NACHMO Boston believe that we wouldn’t be here without the support of our community. Who is one of your favorite local choreographers and why? BB: I will forever be inspired by my very best friend, Jeryl Palaña Pilapil-Brown (She/Her). Jeryl’s appreciation for the art of dance is beyond inspirational, she has a unique way of using her voice and for this I am very grateful. Jeryl has helped me in so many avenues throughout life and I truly appreciate her willingness to help the dance community continue to grow. You can check her out on instagram @jerylpalana_
Between now and the performance in February we will be sharing interviews with the 30+ choreographers who are taking the NACHMO Challenge with us this year! First up is Brett Bell, who is back with us for his second NACHMO in 2022! Nicole Harris: We are so excited to have you back for NACHMO again this year! What are you hoping to build now that we’re (hopefully) looking at live performance once again? Brett Bell: I am hoping to build a beautiful piece for the stage. My dancers are so talented and I’m thrilled to have them.
N: You do a lot of teaching all over the Boston area. What draws you to education? What do you hope your students take away from your classes? BB: Education is life, there is more to teaching just movement. I hope my students take away a sense of discipline and the importance of repetition. These are important life lessons that will keep you moving in the right direction.  N: What else are you working on these days? Can people see your work any time soon?
BB: I’m working on building my youtube channel in the hopes of my work will get out there for people to see. I would love to have more opportunities to create with other artists and build a decent repertoire. I’m also closely working with Jeryl Palaña on a new project she is developing which I am excited to be a part of. By Nicole Harris N: How was the NACHMO experience? What was something that went really well? What was something that went a little sideways? BB: I have been choreographing for over 10 years and every experience has its ups and downs. For NACHMO, I felt it was such a new experience creating dance on film that everything felt wrong, but in a good way. I was challenged to use tools that went familiar, and unsure of where to start and what the outcome would be as a whole. I am pleased to say I would do this over and over and over again, and take what I have learned from NACHMO as I continue to create for as long as I can.
N: What sort of changes (if any) did you make between the NACHMO Boston informal showing and the Malden Dance Mile? BB: The changes between the informal and MDM showing I made, were use of space. I needed to consider the audience receiving more of a personal experience. Taking away the frontal view, and giving a visually uncomfortable take of searching for happiness.
BB: YES, this is very important. We must lift each other as artists because what we do is valuable and could have great impact on our communities. Im a FAN FAV of my dancers/ Boston based creators, Jeryl Palana and Deidre Lewis. These two fantastic women have continued to support me as I have supported them. To name a few more, Angie Conte, William McLaughlin, and Joe Gonzalez.  |
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