Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020

New Course program / APRL 2022
Natalie Johnson
USA
www.nataliejohnsondance.com
About
I am a choreographer working primarily in the vocabulary of
modern and contemporary dance, created for the concert
stage. I am interested in the intersection of language and
movement, and use text and words to inspire much of my
personal initiation points. My work is done collaboratively
with a group of dancers, each of us providing ideas and
material that I craft into a fully formed dance that is uniquely
personal. I am most dedicated to presenting movement
that is emotionally accessible by digging into my own story
and history, finding the universal quality, and bringing that
experience to the fore. The movement I create navigates
between contrasts of athletic and quiet, harsh and tender,
joyful and mournful, always with a human element of
presence and honesty.
Choreography and improvisation
While at Arteles I gathered research around the physical
manifestations of certain emotions connected with
experiences of sexism by conducting workshops with artists
of other mediums. In these workshops we had structured
conversations discussing the bodily and mental symptoms
and reactions that occur during while enduring aspects of
sexism, including violation, self-assertion, and discomfort.
Concurrently and separately, I had an individual practice
of improvisational dance along with improvised music in
collaboration with a fellow resident which culminated in a live
performance of improvised sound and movement together.
In collaboration with.another artist with a musical practice, I
choreographed the rough-draft of a dance work to their new
and unfinished musical composition, both created entirely
while at Arteles. This, too, culminated in a performance of
music and dance, shared with the other residents. Finally,
I created a series of short dance films centering around
the hands and wrists. This series explored the versatility
and emotional range of my hands in a simple video format,
drawing the eye towards small detail, recognizable gesture,
and new, unfamiliar form.