Choreography
My upbringing in rural southeast Texas informs much of the content of my work. I was raised by working-class parents who believed in doing everything themselves. Growing up in houses that were always under construction made me industrious as I learned how to work with what I had, which was never glamorous. I find myself drawn to art that does the same thing. Finding the humor, and sometimes tragedy, that occurs in our day-to-day lives is a theme that is consistent in my work.
When I envision a work, I can see the climax, or other high points, that are excitable to me. Sometimes this takes place as imagery of dramatic, often asymmetrically balanced, landscapes which I see through the form of bodies and/or apparatus. For example, in my work “Labyrinth,” I saw the image of bodies being suspended by ropes, like an insect stuck in a spider’s web. This work explores an industrial world created by metal, rope, rigid costumes, and experimental electronic music from Lakker.
While “Labyrinth” was an example of one of my more abstract works, other concepts have come to me through the form of highly emotional moments of intimacy. The duet, “50/50,” performed at UH Goes to the MATCH in (2019), quite literally "undresses" the personas we develop through our ego. The music and 1960s costuming evoke nostalgia, while Dion’s “The Wanderer” and “Runaround Sue” juxtapose the masculine and feminine cockiness of the dancers. Using nontraditional partnering and theatrics, the work explores pride, humility, and the ability to let go and love.