Q1) Through the creation process, how has your perspective on the experience that inspired ‘On Hold’ changed or evolved?
Early on a lot of the inspiration came from the frustration of senseless waiting. I was surprised by my own reaction to being put on hold for such a long time and I realized there was something deeper going on that I needed to unpack to fully understand my reaction. Later on in the process, the idea of sacrificing one’s time and also possible opportunities to care for one another became another avenue to explore ‘On Hold’. The third evolution happened in November when unexpectedly I had to make an emergency trip to Switzerland. In those hours traveling all I wanted was more time, for everything to slow down. This idea of borrowed time became another step in the development and evolution of On Hold.
I feel the global hold we all felt due to the pandemic is still being carried with us in our bodies. Is it fear, frustration, loss, nostalgia, love, care, panic or all of the above? I am just now beginning to understand how this impacted my body and mind and how to regulate myself and renew/rebuild my relationship with time.
Q2) What are some new or repeating movements throughout this show and how were they inspired by your experience of being ‘On Hold’?
I am personally uncomfortable with stillness or silence so some of the repetitive ticking movements were definitely inspired by this want to move and frustration with being told to sit still. Breath was also an important player in how a move is expressed and helped inspire some of the approaches to executing the same move in different ways. At times I allowed a move to stagnate for an extra breath, almost in anticipation of a longer release that followed like a sigh, expressed throughout the entire body.
This show also provided space for each individual dancer to explore how they ‘Held’ in their bodies thereby creating more options and further exploration of Holds that made it in to the the final aesthetic of this work.
See Dyana’s Choreography in Broken Rhythms upcoming production of ‘On Hold’
Premieres April 4 2025 at 7:30 PM McPherson Playhouse.
Broken Rhythms 