about"
Residency Year: 2021
My practice as an artist often begins with a question. When thinking about what a post-racial world could look like, another question came to mind: “How did the world we’re in develop into what it is now in the first place?” Essentially, I wanted to find out how to think about how we got to where we are, before thinking about how to get anywhere else.
In tap dancing, the smallest unit of creation is an individual choice, by an individual dancer. When dealing with a group, the combined choices by all the dancers create the piece the audience ultimately sees. In improvisational performances with one or more dancers, their choices are not planned out and memorized ahead of time. The choices are, however, somewhat predetermined. The dancer’s past training, individual preferences, and ultimately their character fuel the choices they make in the moment. They can almost trust one another to make certain choices because of the kind of dancer they are. Audiences can often begin to see patterns in the performances of improvisational artists of all types. These patterns are the deep grooves made by training, preference, and habit, that are solidified in character, plus or minus some variation.
There is a relationship between choice and impact that is key when thinking about what we leave behind. Looking at our impact is one way to learn about good or bad choices. However, impact is ephemeral, and often simply hidden from us. Further, when set incorrectly, the relationship between choice and impact can lead to manipulation and control flourish. Still, when set in the correct frame, it can lead to character transformation. Unpacking the processes of choice making, the uncovering of impact, and the relationship between the two is the heart of this project – Believing that if we change what we leave behind, then and only then, can the world change..
Project "
Andrew's practice often begins with a question. The question that drove his project for the Inbreak Residency was, “How did the world we’re in develop into what it is now in the first place?” He wanted to find out how to think about how we got to where we are, before thinking about how to get anywhere else.
His project, What We Leave Behind, is a showcase of six improvisational tap performances that tracks the smallest unit of creation--individual choice, by an individual dancer. When dealing with a group, the combined choices by all the dancers create the piece the audience ultimately sees. In improvisational performances with one or more dancers, their choices are not planned out and memorized ahead of time. The dancer’s past training, individual preferences, and ultimately their character fuel the choices they make in the moment. They can almost trust one another to make certain choices because of the kind of dancer they are.
In this work, Andrew navigates the relationship between choice and impact that is key when thinking about what we leave behind. Unpacking the processes of choice making, the uncovering of impact, and the relationship between the two is the heart of this project – believing that if we change what we leave behind, then and only then, can the world change.