Nicole Harris: This is your first time doing NACHMO together. (I believe this is Teresa’s first NACHMO!? WELCOME!) What are you most nervous and most excited about the experience of creating work in a month?
A&T: We’re so excited!!! 

Alexa:  We’re using a large prop for our piece, which is always a challenge in itself, but creating a piece around it in a month adds an extra layer of difficulty!  I’ve had the concept for this piece for about 8 years now so I’m stoked that I can finally put my thoughts to action. Teresa has a WILD passion and drive for dance that I admire so much and I’m thrilled she’s co-parenting this concept with me. 

Teresa: I’ve been aware of NACHMO for a few years now and it’s just never worked out to participate until now! Alexa reached out and asked if I’d be interested in collaborating on a piece and I took it as my sign to just go for it this year.  I’m really looking forward to getting in the studio and exploring both working with a prop and working in this partnership. 

N: How did you meet? What made you decide to collaborate this year? How will your collaboration begin?
A&T: We actually only met 4 months ago at auditions for OnStage Dance Company!

Alexa:  I’ve never seen anyone submit choreo and do FIVE pieces in their FIRST season at the company. We were in a small piece together this season that involved partnering, which is how we got to know eachother better…except that we weren’t actually partnered together! I noticed a lot of similarities in our quality of movement and I was like “I gotta work with her!”

​N: Teresa - When you signed on to the conversational application you were listed as ASL Interpreter instead of just your name. Are you, in fact, an ASL Interpreter? If so, how did that come about? Are there ways that you feel speaking ASL impacts you as a choreographer and/or a dancer? 
Teresa: Yes, I’m an ASL Interpreter! I went to college to become an interpreter and have been working professionally for about 5 years now. During my career I’ve actually had the privilege of working with many talented Deaf dancers and performing artists which has definitely widened my worldview about what dance can be. I enjoy the visual movement aspect that ASL, dance, and choreography all embrace.

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?
Alexa: I’ve been a big fan of Nozama Dance Collective for years and I’m always fascinated by their work. Every time I leave a show, I feel inspired to create something. ​

By Nicole Harris

Nicole Harris: This is your first time choreographing for NACHMO. (WELCOME!) What are you most nervous and most excited about the experience of creating work in a month?
Libby Bullinger: Thank you for the welcome! The element of NACHMO Boston that stands out to me in particular is the amount of mentorship opportunities involved. As a fresh-out-of-college choreographer, I have definitely struggled with the transition from strictly laid out assignments, weekly choreography classes, and constant peer and faculty feedback that I received in my dance department to being an independent choreographer with free rein and minimal creative feedback. NACHMO has opportunities for group meetings, individualized mentorship, and peer-mentoring that seem to simulate the environment I learned to choreograph in. I anticipate this month will help ease my personal progression from student to working in the professional world.

I’m, of course, nervous that my choreography won’t be “good enough” or “up to standard,” but I have come a long way in terms of how I frame my own achievement. I look forward to this journey being about the process of creation and a catalyst for creativity, with some guidance along the way from a variety of sources. Low stakes, huge opportunity for growth and fun!

N: You returned to Boston during Covid after your college graduation. What made you want to come back here? What have you been doing since you returned?
LB: I’ve always loved Boston, and as soon as I realized I didn’t want to pursue dancing professionally I knew I wanted to move back to my favorite city post-graduation. There are so many opportunities for creative humans here in Boston, and I have been jumping at every chance I can to get reconnected with the arts community after four years away at college. 

Dance education and choreography are my passions, so I have been teaching dance at studios around the city and started my artistic collective, Dance LAB, over the summer. Since then, my work has been performed at two separate events: at the Dance for World Community Festival and as a guest artist in Nozama Dance Collective’s DISSENT show. I can’t wait to keep creating and learning from the artists around me, and NACHMO is the perfect combination of those goals with a friendly push to get to work! 

N: Having started your career during Covid how are you building community in Boston. How can programs like NACHMO Boston help artists who are starting out in a Covid world?
LB: I’m a people-oriented person, so the physical limitations that COVID placed on interactions, especially creatively, definitely impacted the way that I approach choreographing. My goal as an emerging choreographer is to make as many connections with other creative people as I can. One resource that has been invaluable is my membership with Boston Dance Alliance. I was able to attend their Open Call Audition and discovered some incredible dancers that I get to work with in my piece for this year’s NACHMO performance! Word of mouth and social media have also been great catalysts for growing my own network. 

Of course, the concept of the location-based NACHMO chapters is another example of fueling meaningful connections among the dance community, and I am eagerly awaiting the chance to work with this year’s cohort of choreographers. COVID definitely altered our perspectives on the idea of community, so involvement in community-based programs like NACHMO is a way to reenter that aspect of the creative process. 

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?
LB: ​This summer I saw KAIROS Dance Theater’s work in progress showing of “Folktales, Fables, and Feasts.” The athleticism and variety of the dancers’ movement was astounding, and their ability to convey the plotline of the opera fit right in with their collaboration with RenMen. I can’t wait to see the premiere this year!

Nicole Harris: This is your second time doing NACHMO. (WELCOME BACK!) What did you learn through this process last year? What do you hope to do differently this year?
Carli DiMeo & Claire-Solene Becka: Thank you for having us back! We are so excited. Last year, we worked on a piece about laundry; from this experience, we learned about the intricacies of everyday or quotidian movement and gestures. The mentoring session was crucial in our understanding that domestic labor like laundry is so evocative and at times contentious. As we are again working in a duet, we hope to lean into the vulnerability and intimacy of our connection as perceived by the audience. 

N: For last year’s NACHMO you did a piece centered around laundry. There have been several other artists recently looking at invisible labor (including NACHMO Boston mentor Kim Holman’s Common Circus) in their work. Why do you think that is such a relatable theme in our community at the moment?
CD & CSB: With COVID-19 and the following lockdown, our lives were suddenly jammed into our homes. Zoom invited the outside world inside our homes, and so invisible and domestic labor became increasingly visible. Now the boundaries between traditional work and domestic labor are blurred as people work remotely – we ourselves do our laundry in between (or during) meetings!

N: Your laundry piece, Did You Check The Dryer?, was based around the use of props (socks and a laundry basket). Will you be working with props again this year? How do you decide where to begin when starting a new work?
CD & CSB: We will not be working with props again though we are considering having a musician on stage with us – and therefore be part of the piece!

Last year, we began by journaling on the theme of Lost and Found, which is how we arrived at the idea of using socks on stage. This year, we are doing a “physical journal” based on some images we have collected to explore how those shapes manifest in our bodies. This will be the basis of our movement vocabulary. ​

By Nicole Harris

Nicole Harris: For NACHMO this year you are choosing a non-performance track. How do programs like this benefit your process? Are you working towards a specific project outside of NACHMO that you are using your NACHMO time for? Or is this purely exploratory?
Jessica Roseman: NACHMO is the perfect reboot for the start of my year. I love its casual creativity, playfulness, and the supportive environment. This year, I am combining several repertory dances into one longer piece, and I am playing with an interactive installation concept. At this point, both projects are in exploration phases, as I have yet to figure out where or when they will actualize.

N: If this is purely exploratory, or in other places without a clearly defined end product, how do you make sure the process is meaningful? 
JR: Working by myself, I have zero tolerance for tortured process. Alone, I am responsible for meaningfully shaping my work to suit my vision. So I think a lot about what motivates me to dance, what excites me. I am inspired to use stories from my family and identity, by using my senses, and my location.  

N: What are your tools for prioritizing process at least equally to product?
JR: Scheduled time in the studio. In rehearsal, I set my stopwatch for 5 or 20 minutes, for example, to play out a beginning, middle, and end around an idea. I may do timed dances several times throughout a rehearsal. Often the dance is aimless; some sessions I choose to do nothing. Sometimes I phone a friend in rehearsal, or bring in stimulating props for encouragement. Regardless of what happens, by putting in my studio time, I can trust that my process is growing the dance. Over enough weeks, I come to understand a sense of the story I am shaping. Inevitably, I develop a dance I can live in. My process becomes product.

N: You’ve built three distinct pieces for fairly high profile programs in the last year. Do you have any advice for choreographers to care for themselves in the midst of those high pressure situations?
JR: Choreograph wellbeing into your dance. If the piece is emotionally or physically taxing, put a recuperation section in there, or creatively modify the action! Work with things, people, costumes, music that make you happy. Bake care into your artistic process and business practices - schedule daily writing, life coaching, affirmations, play, and rest time to keep grounded. Surround yourself with people who you easily share with and trust. Be honest with yourself. Don’t be afraid to say no, or to ask for what you need. 
 
N: Thanks to a conversation from you a few years ago we started offering childcare during mentoring, tech, and performances for choreographers who need it. Are there other ways that programs like NACHMO Boston can be supporting artists who are parents?
JR: One of my biggest challenges as a parent is balancing my time and energy. I really appreciate how NACHMO offers flexible options in scheduling dates for mentoring sessions, and how to participate. I would love programs for parenting artists to consider offering open, cumulative scheduling, allowing the artist to choose a schedule that works for them. 

It would be ideal if other programs asked accommodation questions to parent artists up front, even if they’re unable to provide. Parents need to feel welcomed to ask for support; so thank you for asking!

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?
​JR: The work of Laura Sánchez really resonates for me, among many other local choreographers. Laura is creating new ways to incorporate all aspects of her being in her dances, including beyond her expertise in flamenco. I am excited to see what she’s doing next!  ​

By Nicole Harris

Nicole Harris: You are a NACHMO pro by now. Do you have any advice for newcomers or those who have been nervous to take the NACHMO challenge?
Marissa Chura: Remember that NACHMO Boston is one of the most welcoming and supportive dance communities around! No one is being competitive with each other, or trying to tear anyone down. Something I love about NACHMO is that there’s no hierarchy among the participants- everyone has something to offer, everyone’s contributions and creations are valued and appreciated.

Also, don’t put too much pressure on yourself! That’s something I have to remind myself a lot when choreographing, and it’s especially true in NACHMO. This whole process of creating something in a month can feel really intimidating, and it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of creating that “perfect” final product- and for me, that’s not what NACHMO is about. Don’t get so stressed about your final piece that you miss out on the overall experience, because this really is such a great opportunity to experiment with movement and connect with so many other artists. 

N: You generally create solo work for NACHMO. What draws you to creating for yourself? How do you keep yourself feeling connected to a community when your rehearsals are just you?
MC: For NACHMO specifically, one reason for solo work is just practicality- this is a very fast-paced endeavor and with my current schedule and location, it just makes more sense to create solo work than to try and coordinate with a group. On a more general note, I’m often drawn to creating solo work because it gives me an opportunity to explore movement that feels satisfying in my own body. Sometimes in a class or rehearsal for something, you’ll find that one movement that just feels really satisfying, but then you might have to move onto the next thing without getting to explore that movement as much as you might want to. So I guess in a way, creating solo work is my “me-time” when I get to revisit those sensations that interest me and keep digging deeper into them. It’s an opportunity to focus on what feels good to my body, and then figure out how to build more movement around that.

I think NACHMO Boston makes it really easy to feel connected to the community even when I’m creating something by myself. There are so many opportunities to directly connect with other people, especially through the various mentoring opportunities. I love group and peer mentoring. It’s always so interesting to hear about other people’s processes and see what they are working on throughout the month, and it’s just a great opportunity to connect with other local artists! Another thing that helps me feel connected is the daily prompts. I don’t necessarily use all of them for my actual piece, but I definitely like to play with them. To know we’re all getting the same daily prompts to play with, and then to be able to see how other choreographers are interpreting the prompts through social media, makes me feel really connected to the larger NACHMO community. 

By Nicole Harris

Nicole Harris: Madison, this is not your first time participating in NACHMO. What did you learn last time that will help you this time around? Is there anything new that you are doing this year?
Madison Florence: This year is my third year participating as a choreographer. Last time, it was 2021 and we were creating entirely for video. Choreographing for the stage feels very different and I became very comfortable performing and creating for an audience I could move and choose what angle they could see the piece from while creating video. I'm doing a little unlearning of that this year but I am excited to do some partnering, get creative with music, and push the boundaries of my comfort zone.

N: You will be collaborating for NACHMO this year. Is this the first time you’ve created together? How do you know each other? How will you begin your collaborative process?
MF: This is our first time creating together but not the first time dancing together. We are both dancers with Nozama Dance Collective and became fast friends since the day we first met. Lucky for us our thoughts are very aligned and developing a concept was a simple conversation.

Sarah Ready: Yes, this is our first time creating together but we have been fortunate enough to dance together with Nozama Dance Collective. I met Madison when I auditioned for Nozama and instantly hit it off and found that we work very well together. We began our collaborative process by having a seamless conversation where our concept was developed.

by Nicole Harris

Nicole Harris: This is your first time choreographing for NACHMO. (WELCOME!) What are you most nervous and most excited about the experience of creating work in a month?
Katrina Conte: I have been wanting to create a piece based off the Dr. Seuss book Green Eggs and Ham for awhile now and I’m excited to explore some abstract funky movement to match his whimsical book. I'm nervous about completing a piece in a month that I feel is complete, but I am trying to think of this show as a test run before it's shown again in our ALIVE show in April.

N: You are choreographing this year as part of Alive Dance Collective and your piece will be inspired by their season theme of books. Can you tell us about what book you’re using and how you’re planning to use it? What first drew you to the book? 
KC: I was first drawn to this book when I went to see How the Grinch stole Christmas the Musical touring at my university a few years ago. There was a fun fact page about Dr. Suess in the program and it mentioned he only uses a total of 50 words rearranged to create the story of Green Eggs and Ham. This sparked an idea! I will be generating a move for each word in the story and choreographing it in the structure of the book. I am also having my musician be inspired by a similar idea.

Nicole Harris: It’s so exciting to have you back to NACHMO! We have certainly undergone a lot of changes since you were with us in 2020. What have you been doing during that time? How do you feel your practice has changed? What things have you discovered to be vital to you and your work?
Jo Troll: It's exciting to be back! NACHMO 2020 was actually my last live performance before the lockdown. I think that's the real change that's happening. I struggled a lot during the pandemic and had to refocus much more on my teaching instead of performance. In terms of creation and performance, I feel like I'm just coming out of a multiyear hibernation. 

This pandemic has taught me a lot in terms of the value of virtual work in terms of accessibility. I never thought that I would teach only on zoom, and yet, I see how much the virtual world has allowed more people to be able to access dance. Now, I'm trying to bring these lessons into my solo creative practice as well. I'm playing a lot more with video and the idea of performing live in a virtual way. I've been thinking a lot about space recently - my main rehearsal space is still my bedroom. So what does it mean to see a space differently or experience a space when we're not physically in it? 

N: You have a background in a variety of traditional percussive dance practices. Can you tell us a bit about what you’ll be working on for NACHMO this year? 
JT: Nothing noisy or virtual! I'm working with Irish light shoe dancing, which can feel very percussive but doesn't have the accompanying sound.I'm not quite sure what it is I'm actually doing yet, but it seems to involve a chair. I've always been fascinated by how music for dance can change our perception of time and that has been my main starting point. I struggle between the desire to simply dance and the need to say something with my dancing. I'm a trans, aroace, disabled Irish dancer and if I don't frame my work, someone else will do it for me and usually miss something important. But sometimes, I just want to put on good music and dance. I think that tension is an underlying theme in my work at the moment.

By Nicole Harris

By Nicole Harris

By Nicole Harris

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. 

• Going with your gut is important - you have to be your biggest advocate but also allow others to help/ support!
• You never know until you try, so try! and not every “success” is a “yes” so, be gentle and not attached to results!  
• Connections and community is everything. To fall in and embrace - all and any. 

​My goals moving forward is to just take more chances and dive in more. I tend to let my brain and mental chatter if you will really hold me back from personally following through with some projects, grants, applications, which is okay its part of the journey, but, I think goal wise: apply to more things,  keep performing, and hopefully making new work.  

​​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 Nicole Harris

N: This is your fourth NACHMO, making you a pro! Do you have any advice for first time participants or artists who have felt nervous about taking the challenge?
Christopher Croucher: Honestly, I feel like NACHMO is the perfect way to shake off those nerves.  The way that NACHMO Boston supports the choreographers really makes it a choose-your-own-adventure kind of challenge.  Put in as much or as little energy as you have to give, really, it’s okay!  As Brenna Banister and Alive Dance Collective say, we’re full time humans and part time dancers.  It’s okay to jump in at the deep end or stick a toe in the wading pool.  No matter what, you’re going to take something from this experience!

I think the most important things to remember are that 1. This should be fun, otherwise why do it? and 2. You’re stepping into one of the least judgmental and most supportive communities you’ll find in the dance world…enjoy it.  You never know what will come out of it until you shake it off and go for it. 

​N: You have been incredibly busy in the last year working on Letting the Land Lead. Can you tell us a little more about it? Where are you hoping it goes from here?

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_ 

By Nicole Harris

You can see Tova’s work at Arts at the Armory on Saturday, February 26th a 8pm! Tickets are by donation (pay what you can) and available RIGHT NOW! Get yours today!

GB: Yes, I began the group sometime in July 2021. The dancers that have participated in my group are all working women with full time jobs with kids/families to take care of. We all take time out from our busy lives just for the love of art. The name "Bawri" in a nutshell describes this love or passion for dancing. "Bawri" means crazy for or passionate for .. and in this case it's dancing. So Bawri is a group of women passionate for dancing.

GB: This is a great question. It's been extremely tough to manage both simultaneously, honestly. But it's doable at-least now, after being somewhat settled with higher educational endeavors with my name search leading to a google scholar profile :). Both science and dancing is about creativity and this creativity is the common denominator in the two. In science, a lot of creative thinking is needed to solve the tough questions and be able to apply the knowledge in creative ways. Isn't dancing the same? Be able to flow creatively and apply the movements in creative ways to create a peice. Another common denominator is being "immersed"
I feel both science and dance require being immersed into them. The deeper you go, the more there is to explore/learn and it never ends.

ZBN: Since completion of filming with Turning Key Dance, we learned working with Jules the power of "YES and"; as both Jules and myself are Artistic Directors, we're used to making decisions solely based for our companies, however getting to collaborate on movement and angles and storyline, it was like we had a blank canvas and we each got to splatter paint of our own colors to create our work! Playing off of one another's ideas and energies. It was a wonderful artistic and friendship building experience!

N: NSquared has kept busy during Covid. What have you been up to?
ZBN: NSquared Dance has been quite busy during COVID, aside from filming with Turning Key Dance, NSquared has been performing in several showcases in New Hampshire & Mass and has grown to be a fully established entity in Manchester, NH. Furthering our roots in New Hampshire, we are in the process of becoming a Non-Profit and look forward to sharing more concert dance works with Northern New England and the Boston area. Sharing the JOY of dance!

ZBN: We're great friends with NACHMO participant Amanda Whitworth and also Brett Bell. Luminarium Dance, and Bosoma are another of the NSquared Dance's favorites! karen Krolak, Nicole Harris, and Brenna Banister are fabulous artists for making this all happen and we are grateful for their creativity and encouragement! There is such diversity within the contemporary/ modern dance language and each choreographer has their own dialect which makes the performances and creations exceptionally special to watch, especially during this month of creativity!

Aftab Dance Group: In the Spring 2019 we performed in several Persian New Year events in the New England area (including the annual Persian Parade in NYC)! As we usually take a break over the summer and then start up again in the Fall, we then performed in Winter of 2019 at two local "Shabe Yalda" (Winter Solstice) events with new choreography. We had fully prepared for a Spring performance season with brand new choreography for 2020, but unfortunately the pandemic started right as Persian New Year events were kicking off (March) and all our remaining shows were canceled. We proceeded to take some time off and just filmed some videos outdoors until Fall 2021, but we are now excited to get back into rehearsing and performing!

N: You have challenged yourselves to take on many different forms of Persian dance over the years. What is the thing that unifies all the forms? What draws you to one form over another?
​ADG: Over the history of the group we have taken on many different styles of Persian dance (Bandari, Baba Karam, Azeri to name a few), but we typically perform a fusion of modern and traditional styles as this is our strength and our audiences enjoy it. If a dancer joins the group with experience in a specific style or expresses interest in trying something new we explore ways to incorporate it into our routines!

ADG: We hope to expand our audiences to the greater dance community in Boston this year! This year our biggest challenge, like many others, is to create new pieces that are stage-ready while navigating the ever-changing landscape of what "performance" season looks like.

Aftab has long had a presence in the Persian community in Boston, but we have not had as much exposure to the larger dance community in the city. We are excited to continue branching out and to share our culture and choreography with everyone. We hope everyone enjoys all the work we put into our costumes and performances.

N: Ah yes, ‘Subtly Alice’ from last year’s NACHMO was such a shining light for me creatively. I had never made a dance on film and had really only dabbled in the process back in college with a film student, so it was a nice challenge for me. That process relied heavily on editing as we didn’t have as much time in the studio as I would to create a live piece. I was surprised in what we were able to accomplish with three rehearsals, well let’s call them filming sessions, and how I was able to meld my process to fit different schedules, maintain social distance and dive back into dance in person.

AN: In so many other fields it is engrained that it’s all in who you know… well I’ve found it is the same in the arts. Maybe even more important. It was exciting last year to be able to meet some new people, see new dance and for some NACHMO participants watch the piece evolve for the Malden Dance Mile. I’ve also come into a mindset that nothing is ever truly finished. With 10 Recalling-20, every time Ashlea and I come into the studio there are new ideas, stronger ways to convey our message, and other avenues to explore. Strength needs time, and time creates strength. Ashlea and I have found a balance as a duo in collaboration and I’m always keen to mix in more of this in my life. Peer-to-peer mentorship is bigger than just creating something for NACHMO, it’s creating relationships in the greater Boston area and furthering the field of dance with deep meaningful conversation.

AN: So many locals I love! In the last few months, I’ve danced with and grown to know and love Rachel Linksy. She has such a wonderfully keen sense of herself and is always down to play. I’ve also been working more closely with Lonnie Stanton who inspires me every day to think somatically, be open to process, and invite others in.

Nicole Harris: You will be collaborating with a painter and a musician on your piece for NACHMO this year. Can you tell us about that?
​Abigail Ripin: We are playing somewhat of a game of broken telephone where we create art across our own mediums of expertise. I've sent both the musician and painter a video of a piece of choreography I created. Using this choreography as inspiration, they are creating music and a painting, respectively. They will share their work with me, and I will use it to inspire my next piece of choreography. I will then show the painter this choreography, and he will paint something inspired by it. We are planning to repeat this exchange a few times.

N: You have extended out an invitation to work with new dancers. How has the process of finding dancers gone? How has it been working with new dancers?
AR: I have been very lucky to have received a lot of interest from dancers who want to participate in my piece. I am looking forward to starting rehearsals and building a cohesive group dynamic. This is the first time I've assembled a group of dancers for a project in almost 4 years, so I am grateful for the dancers who are eager to contribute their time and talent, and I am optimistic for the potential of this work.

I'm really excited to create on a group of 5 to 8 dancers and just play director and choreographer. It has been a very long time since I have not performed in my own work, so I'm looking forward to taking a step back and just focusing on creating. I'm also excited to connect with local choreographers through the mentorship tracks and see how my collaborations progress.

CC: My film was shown at the virtual 8th Annual We Create Festival (June, 2021) the Festival of You, Us and Them, The Dance Complex (September, 2021), and the City of Malden Winter Festival (December, 2021).

CC: For me the difference I have noticed is the “when” I want to practice or produce in each medium. As I continue to view my dance journal I see that I am able to draw and dance, but not dance and draw. I don’t let myself go on the latter. Perhaps because I am a visual learner, to “see” a movement or shape then embody it is easier. I am excited about using NACHMO to explore dance then drawing as a prompt for creating work. I think it will help me let go of worrying about technique and just dance!

N: We love our local community! Who are some of your favorite local choreographers? And why?
CC: Marsha Parrilla, Danza Organica - I have learned a huge amount from Marsha’s workshops and was honored to be part of her first and most recent We Create Festival, celebrating women of color. Marsha has truly been a social justice warrior through her company’s work. Her dance aesthetic is strong and graceful, and she is generous with her curriculums in cultural storytelling and research.

Jenny Oliver, Modern Connections - Jenny’s choreography makes me feel like this is what I am supposed to do in the world. Her classes are fun, hard and you will walk away each time so proud of yourself because she has told you to “live” when you perform her center choreo. She answers every question and when you are lucky enough to see her perform, it is magical!

Jean Appolon, JAE Expressions - Jean takes me back to first Saturday dance classes in Haitian Folklore. I did not know all the connections to healing this grounded dance style has as a child. I learn and practice through JAE. His company members are just as kind in teaching and welcoming the community to move into healing.

I am SO excited to see Wisty Andres on the list of NACHMO participants. Wisty is a beautiful dancer with such control of their body. I have experienced their choreographic genius as a dancer, and their healer’s spirit in their mindful workshops.

And have to shout out Boston choreographers McKersin Previlus, LaKai Dance and Ronnie Thomas, Mystique Illusions. Both have a quality of movement that back up their beliefs and dance styles. It was an honor to see their growth as company founders and creative directors. They also promised I could jazz hands in their shows, a flare I think is underused.

Being from Boston, a predominantly white city, I saw a need to focus solely on Black dancers & choreographers in my first archival project. Boston’s black dancers deserve a space to know their works are exhibited with the best intentions and stored in ways that will preserve them for true historical research and reference in all the mediums possible.

It will also be a space for honoring our lost and living legend of multidisciplinary artists, who can be researched at the BPL. I want to support and honor black artists of all mediums.

Please join my website or follow me on instagram for project highlights and how you can help Cassandre bring The Black Arts Sanctuary to public and private institutions across Massachusetts and beyond.

Insta:
@charleyarts
Cassandre Charles
The Black Arts Sanctuary

Where do you find the creative energy with everything else you do to keep NACHMO Boston up and running during the month of January? Where do you turn when that creative energy is running low?
​BB: It feels really ambitious to create while running NACHMO Boston! For the first few years I ran NACHMO I absolutely refused to also choreograph. However, I think due to my injury (mentioned later) and so much time of inactivity, I'm itching to do something creative right now. I also always find that NACHMO inspires me. The mentorship sessions keep my spirits and creativity up. Even the sessions where I don't show my own work offer me so much inspiration and motivation. Additionally, using the Creation track this year takes some of the burden off. I can create as much as works for me, and not feel pressure to come up with something that feels very "complete" and ready to present. Finally, working collaboratively with my dancers helps to keep ideas flowing and sharing the process with them allows for me to have rehearsals where I come in less prepared and see where the movement takes us!

BB: It's been so great to rotate Alive Dance Collective choreographers for the past few NACHMOs! I think it gives a chance for our group to get that kick in the pants and start the year off with someone different each year. Additionally, I'm so excited for added mentorship requirements. I hope that mentorship helps members of Alive find their voices and bolsters their confidence, while also connecting individual members of our collective with more members of the Boston dance community.

N: Last year you shared your love for Evolve Dynamicz, Ruth Benson Levin & Lynn Modell, Kristin Wagner, Monkeyhouse, Sasso and Co, Public Displays of Motion, and Ryan P. Casey. Who are some local artists you specifically met through NACHMO that you love? And why?
BB: I meet so many people through NACHMO! Jessica Roseman is someone who I got to know much better through Mental Health Happy Hours last year. She's a lovely person and I love how she works to make movement accessible to broader communities. I was able to attend one of her Nourish days at LexFarm and was so inspired! Also, Anne Goldberg-Baldwin is a NACHMO connection for me and I'm so fascinated with how her film last year combined her background in figure skating and dance. It was so beautiful!

N: You run a dance program at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME. From what I understand it’s a fairly unique program. Can you tell us about it?
​DR: I'm really lucky to be teaching as an adjunct at College of the Atlantic right now. COA is a tiny liberal arts school where every student receives the same credential: a degree in Human Ecology. This makes for really well-rounded students that take everything from contemporary dance technique, to marine biology, to conflict resolution or poetry. I'm working to make the dance curriculum as interdisciplinary as the model of the college. Dancers and choreographers write, draw, and heal. They are political, they are scientists, they are active citizens. I try to replace the term "dance practice" with "embodied scholarship practice" as much as possible.

DR: To be honest, my rural location in Bar Harbor has been the singular largest challenge to my work as an artist for the past four years. It's difficult to make a 6 hour round trip to take class, see a show, or connect in-person with a larger dance community. However, I feel that I'd choose being a rurally-based artist again and again, because it has pushed me to develop a creative community for myself. That often means reaching beyond circles of "dance people" and engaging community members who might not have a long history with contemporary dance. That's where some serious magic happens, and it's allowed me to foster relationships with families, schools, students, seniors etc. I'm excited about the opportunity NACHMO provides to connect with the larger New England dance community, as that's something I really crave. I'm finding that being a rural artist just means casting your net for community a little further.

N: You were artist in residence at Acadia National Park. Tell us about your experience!
​DR: I was really lucky to participate in the Acadia National Park Artist Residency program back in 2019 alongside a close collaborator of mine. We spent lots of time doing sensory-based work in the National Park (lots of tourists wondered who the folks laying on the rocks were...) I think the residency really challenged us to consider our relationship between our bodies, colonization, and the concept of "property." I feel grateful to have had that space as an emerging artist.

N: There are so many incredible local choreographers here. Who are some of your favorites and why?
DR: One of my favorite Boston-based choreographers is Betsi Graves. I feel really lucky to have studied with Betsi as a young dancer through Urbanity Dance. I really think of her as a whimsical genius--she builds a captivating world for each dance to live in with its own delightfully bizarre logic. I also love to share space with Scott McPheeters, who is based in Biddeford, Maine. Just a radiant human. His movement really captures the expansive joy of dancing.

N: We recognize how important mentors are to artists at all stages of their careers. Who are your mentors and how have they impacted your trajectory?
DR: One of my closest mentors is actually a Boston-based dancer, teacher, choreographer, Jaclyn Thompson Waguespack. Jaclyn and I met when I was really young, and in a very tender place in terms of my relationship to dance. She offered me a pathway through dance that was healthier and served my growth as a whole person. It's been a huge gift to grow together as artists.

By Nicole Harris

By Nicole Harris