Returning HOME for the first time

In the beginning of each rehearsal, we sit in a circle and "check in". We discuss where we are in this moment, what we're bringing into the studio, and how thinking about HOME has influenced us during our time apart.

Two of the dancers are undergraduate students at Widener University and have been embarking on this journey as part of the Widener University Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities program. 

Early in the process, Erin and Kyleigh had recently returned to their childhood homes after their first year away from college. When we came together, Erin reflected:

"Whether this is based on my age (and growing up) or another factor, since returning home from school, I've found myself considering a wider meaning of "home." Coming from a small town within the Lehigh Valley, when asked, I identified Allentown as my general home. Now, I believe I have expanded to include all of the Lehigh Valley and down to Delaware County as my home. I've found myself more likely to travel and explore this newly defined home, and in the process of this travel, I've spent less time in both my physical (structural) home and Allentown in general. I notice that in this expansion, I feel as though I am able to learn and experience more through new places and events."

Dancers performing JCWK's work in the Lehigh Valley