This lawn is where the first section of U R Here takes place. Before starting the choreography, and during the process of making the work, I’ve spent many hours in the park. In comparison to Prospect Park’s Long Meadow or Central Park’s Sheep’s Meadow, this green area is small. For me it’s 30 strides long by 27 wide. I thought, with 10 dancers, I can fill this space with patterns of running and launching, our term for leaping toward someone and expecting they’ll catch you, as well as revolving lifting sequences. What I’ve discovered is... there is so much height - the sky is the limit. The space is much bigger simply because it is not confined from above.

 

This provides a stark contrast to the duets in this work, which are constructed for confined spaces, such as Serene Rose’s 4.5 foot by 6.5 foot window space. My challenge here was to develop dramatic narratives that didn’t use space as an indicator for time lapsing or relationships changing, though this does occur at The President Street Green Space where space is ample by comparison.

 

I’m excited by the variety of composers who have agreed to allow their music to be utilized in this experiment and thank them whole heartedly. As in all my works, the dancers generate much of the material - they are my collaborators and have been a joy to work with.