we performed BEAR…
3/10/2022
We performed BEAR in Massachusetts. Live performance, we missed you. The people at SCDT have carved out and created an incredible community of support for artists. We had an amazing time traveling up from Brooklyn for the day, wandering/warming in the space, solving minor tech difficulties, and getting to know the extraordinary people that make that space what it is. And we were pleasantly surprised by what SCDT referred to as a “small” audience of over 100 people. We couldn’t even remember the last time we were in a room with 100 people! We shared the stage with poet Caroline Rayner and percussionist Chris Corsano and loved being welcomed into the mix of the sound and texture they offered.
We learn so much by putting something on a stage, in front of eyes that are supporting, critical, learned, experienced, or not – whatever that means. It helps us understand what needs work, what feels right, where we need to push, and what more we want to dream up for this work.
BEAR has always been a work-in-process, and has tried to be representative of the moment it lives in – personal, global, or communal. It was never meant to be a dance of a specific time or place, but rather one reflective of claudia + simon. We were different yesterday, so our work should be different now. We think of BEAR as a vessel or canvas, that can flex and stretch to be of the moment we find ourselves in (or is thrust upon us). That is what is energizing about this piece, and this way of working. It’s also a bit daunting. How can we create structures and works of performance that stay alive, stay relevant (to us and you), and never settle for what they once were? These can show up in small or big ways, but the intention is always at the root of the process.
This is why spaces like SCDT and the support they offer are so important. We dance for us, but we also dance to see and be seen. Maybe it’s ego. Maybe it’s eagerness. Maybe it’s just a reminder that we don’t walk or make alone – none of us. Thank you for helping us be seen, and helping us see ourselves anew.
In our steps ahead, we see this work beyond the duet form it exists in now. We see others moving through BEAR with us. We see us stepping out. BEAR will evolve, as it should. We are gearing up to share our process with other artists and if you are reading this and say to yourself, “... hey, that’s me,” let’s stay connected. More soon.
Photo by: Peter Raper