Creating Choreography; Cultivating Community

The DeSales University XTE (student-run honors Dance club) produces a monthly "Dancer Digest", specifically for the University's Dance Majors. I was unaware, and so was my colleague and DeSales Dance Faculty, Angela Sigley Grossman, that the students who participated in (in)visible veins: Rivers Merge planned and wrote an article about the experience.

In their words, I'm including the article below:

Rivers Merge: (in)visible veins
By Samantha Burns and Sarah Duffany

"During the weekend of September 25th and 26th, the Lehigh Valley was able to experience a performance of Jessica Warchal-King's piece titled (in)visible veins. This performance took place next to the river at Scott Park, which is located near Lafayette College, in Easton, PA. This piece used the music from Bach's Cello Suite No. 6, under the musical direction of David Cullen. There were over twenty dancers from the DeSales University Dance Department who performed in this piece, along with Warchal-King and Angela Sigley Grossman. The rehearsals for (in)visible veins ran for two hour sessions over three consecutive weeks at the Brission Dance Studio and concluded with a tech rehearsal in the actual performance space. This piece was divided up into six different sections and ran approximately for twenty-six minutes. Warchal-King's main focus was to create something to facilitate community building, while recognizing the importance of things both seen and unseen.

The site specific piece allowed not only the audience to feel one with nature, but also pushed the performance to open up their eyes and appreciate both the visible and invisible parts of their world. Gina Palumbo, a senior dance major, was touched by the tranquil scene, and was constantly reminded her of the message behind Warchal-King's artistic vision. "With the presence (of the) river, the traffic, the train, our audience members, and all of God's grandeur, remaining present during the performance was absolutely vital if I wanted to properly provide [Jessica's] art to the audience." Palumbo was also very grateful for the connection to the community found in the environment in which she performed: "If I can take what I learned in this piece out into the world, I can make a small, yet important, change in the world around me."

Similarly, Lisa Marie Levy, a sophomore dancer, immediately immersed herself in the natural world around her. "While I was performing, I was noticing nature and seeing the beauty in nature," Levy stated, "I gained a better understanding of beauty in everyday life." Levy also found solace in Warchal-King's intentions of creating a community: "We, as a community, need to recognize what we have and focus on the good rather than the bad."

(in)visible veins was created to help build community while recognizing the importance of things both seen and unseen. The movement in this piece focused on external and internal rotation, a constant awareness of being connected with the other dancers, and a sense of living in each moment as if the river was continuously flowing within the performers. The location for this work also set the theme of connectedness and community since this work was performed near the river which connects the Delaware and Lehigh rivers before moving onward toward Philadelphia."

This piece was re-posted with the permission of the editor, the authors, and DeSales Faculty. 

Merging stories:veins and throughlines

The Delaware and Lehigh Rivers converge in Easton and then travel to Philly, create a barrier between NJ and Delaware in the Delaware Bay, and join the Atlantic Ocean. Easton is a small, but important stop on the journey.

The point where the rivers met in Easton was/ is sacred Native American ground. 

Presenting (in)visible veins: Rivers Merge in the Lehigh Valley is particularly poignant to me because:

1. I'm returning to a place that was highly influential in my young artistic life. 

2. It was a young artist's dream of mine to build community through dance. I have the opportunity to do that in this work. 

3. I am re-connecting with a good friend and colleague through dance. 

And this is the heart of this post. 

Angela Sigley Grossman and I first merged in grad school at Temple University. We had both completed our undergrad in the Lehigh Valley, but it was at Temple where we connected. Angela was always able to make light of any grad-school frustrations and was a genius when it came to understanding musical structures. She was fearless in attacking the challenge of pairing physical expectations with music and guided us (those in her grad school cohort) in breaking sound and movement partnerships into understandable phrases.

Angela has stood by my side many times, including at my wedding. She has been a patient, reassuring presence in my creative exploration of princesses, mousetraps and watermelons, chakras, the ocean, and now, horseshoe crabs and the interconnectedness of human relationships, society, and the environment. 

I am so grateful for her confidence in this current project. I am grateful for her continued professionalism and friendship. I am grateful that she has been a sounding board for my artistic growth. Thanks, Angela!

Here is her professional bio:

"Angela Sigley Grossman is an Assistant Professor of Dance at DeSales University. She holds an MFA degree in dance performance and choreography from Temple University and a BA degree in dance as a magna cum laude graduate of DeSales University. Angela has presented choreographic work at Temple University, St. Gregory's University, DeSales University, the American College Dance Association, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and the Baltimore Dance Invitational and has performed for various local and nationally known independent choreographers. Angela has also designed lighting for dance performances in the Philadelphia area. Previously, she has taught at Temple University and the Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts."

A brief look at our journey through photos:

"Doris Says..." a performance based upon breaking the rules in Doris Humphrey's "The Art of Making Dances"

"Doris Says..." a performance based upon breaking the rules in Doris Humphrey's "The Art of Making Dances"

"Doris Says..." a performance based upon breaking the rules in Doris Humphrey's "The Art of Making Dances"

Grad school, Faculty Concert 2008. Choreography by Lisa Kraus

Grad school. My MFA thesis microcosmic current

Mousetrap - Philly Fringe 2008

Angela's MFA thesis - The Rented World

Angela is performing with me on Friday and Saturday as part of (in)visible veins: Rivers Merge and is also presenting her own work in the staged performance on Friday and Saturday at 8pm at the Williams Center for the Arts. Tickets are free, but seating is limited, so call and reserve your tickets. More info on Rivers Merge

(in)visible veins: Rivers Merge - the cast (part 1)

Over 20 students from DeSales University are diving into this process of re-staging (in)visible veins: Rivers Merge. In no particular order and in their own words, I'd like to introduce them to you:

Krysten Struk. "I am a freshman at DeSales University, I am a Dance major with a business minor. I have been dancing all my life, and wish to travel the world dancing. I do not know how I will get there so for right now I just want to live in the moment doing all that I can."

"Gina Palumbo is a senior dance major at DeSales University. She grew up in Philadelphia,but learned to appreciate the tranquility of nature when she moved to the Lehigh Valley. She is delighted to have been a part of Jessica's vision, as well as to be performing with her in such a beautiful environment."

Katie Hay. "I am a freshman at DeSales University and enrolled in the sports and exercise and dance departments. Sports and dance have been my life since I was three and I am excited to combine the two. With my degree, I want to be a physical therapist with a focus in dance therapy."

"Amy Gramling just transferred to DeSales University as a Junior Dance major. Amy grew up in the Bucks County area where she began dancing at age four. Amy has always loved to dance and hopes to continue dancing and teaching in years to come. Before coming to DeSales, Amy taught locally and was a member of EDdanceCohesion. She has performed at ETC Performance Series with work set by Rebecca Cupples and Liz Lyle. This is the first time Amy has done a site specific piece and is blessed to have such an opportunity."

"Haley Gilbert is a junior Dance Major at DeSales University. She is hoping to become a professional contemporary ballet dancer. Haley hails from Enola, Pennsylvania, but has familial ties in the Lehigh Valley. She is excited to have the opportunity to perform in such a beautiful area and be a part of Rivers Merge."

"Cora Savage is a freshmen dance major at DeSales University where she intends to initiate a future career in dance performance or choreography. Having attended the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, Cora has been exposed to many different styles of dance. In her free time, she enjoys long mountain hikes, drinking coffee, spending quality time with family and friends, as well as experimenting in dance improvisation with her fellow dancer friends. Cora is very grateful for the opportunity to work with Jessica Warchal-King and experience site-specific performance for the first time."

"Sarah Duffany is a senior dance major at DeSales University. She is so grateful to have been able to be a part of the Rivers Merge Festival. Sarah plans to attend graduate school in the future for dance history/ criticism, while also teaching dance and performing professionally on the side."

"Samantha Burns is a junior dance major at DeSales University, where she has both performed in and choreographed for various concerts. Most recently, she has performed in the New Street Group's 2015 showcase in Philadelphia's FringeArts Festival, as well as presented her own work in the 2015 installment of Ten Tiny Dances at Bethlehem's Touchstone Theatre."

"My name is Liza Marie Levy. I am currently a sophomore dance major at DeSales University. I have been dancing since the age of three. Throughout the years, I have been trained in many styles, which include: Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Modern, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Gymnastics. Over the summer I interned at my dance studio. The main focus for this internship was teaching, choreographing, and learning how to adapt to different students. In the future I hope to dance professionally on Broadway or on Cruise Lines. I also would like to achieve my Master's degree and teach at the college level."

"Hello, my name is Jaclyn Yerkes and I am a freshman dance major at DeSales University! I have been dancing all my life and could not picture myself in any other career choice besides dance. After graduation I plan on continuing my love for dance in hopes to become a backup dancer, work with a contemporary company and be on Broadway; these plan are more like dreams to me. Something I also want to work towards would be opening up a studio with my sister for disabled children. It would give the children an opportunity to dance and fun at their own level and pace."