thirty words or less.

This 5 minute work is an exploration of the ways in which humans define themselves through the stories they tell about their lives. It is the result of one year of collecting stories from strangers at parties, in bars, cafes, and online and 3 months of following the stories to find choreography. Initially, I was trying to bring the stories to life through movement. I soon realized that it was not the content of the stories that was important, but the process of telling a story. I noticed patterns in the types of details respondents chose to include and in the ways that they formatted their stories (i.e. listing big life events, offering one specific anecdote, explaining their life philosophy). I began to understand how telling stories is a uniquely human habit and this dance was an effort to honor that. To honor the stories that strangers graciously offered me, to honor my dancers as owners of their own unique stories, and to honor the never-ending process of communicating what–, where–, why–, when–, and who– we all are.