And The Spirit Moved Me

And The Spirit Moved Me is a multi-media movement mediation and response to legacy, nature and spirituality in the body. 

And The Spirit Moved Me takes us on a provocative journey through the body landscape to discover and reveal the natural and spiritual world within. I started working on the And The Spirit Moved Me two years ago. The project has evolved and shifted into the work you will see tonight.  My first inspiration was the life and work of Sybil Shearer who was a one of a kind performer and creator and I was curious about seeing if one could archive an artist in the body and see where legacy and inspiration cross.  In the fall I re-constructed two of her works that we performed at the Newberry Library in connection with the Chicago Dance History Project.  We presented O Lost her signature solo and a Judgement Seeks Its Own Level a group work that premiered in 1969 and had not been performed since the 70’s.  

From there the work has taken on a new life by immersing our experience in the natural world.  The addition of stilts allows me to further the artistic legacy of a traditional African dance form, used as a means of connecting the natural world to the physical and spiritual world in many rituals. It all comes down to body, spirit and humanity communing together to find the inner passion and expression of our experiences.