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I have known Audrey for years now, and never have I ever seen her lose her composure or perspective. A life in the arts is chalk full of frustrations, disappointments, and annoyances. And yet... Audrey has always been an individual capable of taking a breath, looking at a situation from every angle imaginable, and taking a next step forward rather than stewing in the present or past. Audrey's ability to detach, analyze and press on is admirable. What is even more admirable is her ability to do this while still remaining fully human. She is unique, intelligent, incredibly funny, and remarkably intuitive. I am so grateful to know her, and I am thrilled that you'll have the pleasure of knowing her now, too.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN CREATING WORK, AND IN WHAT CONTEXT? I began making work in my undergrad program at Connecticut College in 2009/2010. The first piece I made was a collaboration with Katie McGrail, (who I am very lucky to still dance and collaborate with today). We wore unitards. I continued to make work during my time at Conn and have continued to develop work through programs such as the New Works Mentorship program at Green Street Studios, The Dance Complex's aMaSSiT program, DanceNow Boston, and ...that's what she said, among others. WHAT TENDS TO BE YOUR INSPIRATION OR CATALYST FOR CREATION? A lot of my inspiration has come from conversations with friends about things I think would be interesting or questions I'm pondering (typically in a car or sitting at a kitchen table) and has evolved from there. Often, I start from wanting to accomplish a seemingly simple task. Some of these tasks have appeared in my recent pieces: peel and eat oranges, fold as many paper airplanes as you can in two minutes, or hold a ten-pound bucket straight out from your body longer than anyone else on stage. I create these scenarios in my mind to expand upon, and I genuinely believe art is a reflection of our lives and can change the world and all that, but on a very basic level I want to make sure it's pleasurable as well. For me (selfishly) and also for the audience. As I make work, I find I'm often trying to entertain myself. Not necessarily in a "funny" way, but entertain in terms of keeping it interesting, engaging, and challenging. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE BOSTON DANCE COMMUNITY? I've been living and dancing in Boston since the fall of 2012. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR COMMUNITY? WHAT MAKES A COMMUNITY STRONG? I'm not sure I think anyone belongs to one single community, or that a community is made up of one "type" of person. I think as humans we all belong to a number of different communities. Any group of people who we share something in common with could be defined as a community, with there being a range of the nature of connections among the individuals. I would consider my community to be made up of: artists, teachers, administrators, dancers, experiential educators, climbers, choreographers, paddlers, readers, and so many other things. I think that the different communities we create for ourselves feed different parts of us. As someone creating performative work, I find that having a variety of perspectives, interests (and probably when I get right down to it having lots of different things and people to "pull" ideas from) within my communities helps my choreographic process. YOU HAVE SAID THAT YOU THINK EVERY DANCE IS ABOUT LOVE. HOW DOES THIS TRANSLATE TO YOUR WORK? WHAT CONCEPTS ARE YOU TACKLING IN YOUR WORK THIS SEASON? I think more so than love, the major overarching theme I have been thinking about as I have created new work over the last few years is the fluidity of emotions. Particularly, I have thought a lot about the place where something shifts from incredibly sad to incredibly humorous and vice versa. To me, this shift can also be directly related to relationships and love (of all kinds). I am trying to explore the place where humor and tragedy intersect, and to allow the work to exist in that place of overlap. I spend a lot of time toying with how to display this blending of two seemingly opposite emotions on stage without forcing or faking it. These dichotomies and the overlap can be found so often in our "regular", day-to-day lives, and I want to exhibit that on stage. Questions I am constantly curious about are: What is the moment where something incredibly sad becomes funny? Why do we laugh when we are uncomfortable? How can one person find something hilarious and another find it heart breaking? How can a work that that feels incredibly sad as a performer become funny to a viewer? How can we display the shift from tragedy to humor in an honest way? THIS IS YOUR SECOND SEASON PARTICIPATING AS A CHOREOGRAPHER IN TWSS. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO RETURN FOR A SECOND SEASON? HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY CHANGES OR AREAS OF GROWTH FOR THE PROJECT SINCE THE FIRST SEASON? Having the opportunity to develop a new set of ideas over a long period of time, and then to show that work over a number of performances, is such a rare opportunity. Getting to do it with support from a wide range of other artists, is amazing. In the first round of TWSS, getting to know the other choreographers and sharing feedback throughout the process was by far thee highlight, and getting to be part of feedback sessions again this round is just as meaningful. During the first round of TWSS, "Lady BOS Productions" didn't yet exist (or was just in its early stages) and to see how the range of events and offerings (performances, open mics, workshops, oh my!) has expanded so greatly has been really exciting. WHAT HAS BEEN MOST GRATIFYING ABOUT THIS SEASON OF TWSS? Having the time to really dive into something and getting to present it more than once in a performance setting is huge! I like to keep the performers on their toes so I'm excited to make little changes (and maybe include some surprises) before each performance to keep things really honest and fresh. WHAT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES HAVE YOU BEEN GRANTED OR HAVE YOU BEEN EXPLORING LATELY IN BOSTON DANCE? Recently, I have shown work in a number of "Tiny & Short" performances throughout New England, as an artist produced by Lady BOS Productions, through The New Works program at Green Street Studios, with The Dance Complex's aMaSSiT program, and as part of DanceNow Boston. WHERE CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WORK? WHAT COMES AFTER TWSS? Up next I'll be showing work in a performance curated by Jimena Bermejo at The Midway on April 18th. I'm also performing this spring at Judson Church in a new work by NYC choreographer Grant Jacoby. My (currently under construction) website is: audreymacleandance.com. WHAT SUPPORT DO YOU NEED MOST IN ORDER TO CONTINUE TO GROW AS AN ARTIST AND A MAKER? There are obvious things that seemingly most artists could use in terms of support: exposure, space (a hot commodity right now in Boston), time, money (everyone, always). I think having the resources to compensate collaborators/dancers for their time and role is a big one for all choreographers, but I also believe that exposure is the point from which all those other areas of support can build from. WRITTEN BY KRISTIN WAGNERPublished March 5, 2020
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I first saw Angie's and Becca's work at Dancing Queerly in 2018. I'm not even sure they had graduated from college yet, but I was intrigued by their clear connection and chemistry onstage. Their work was so fluid, so intimate, and maintained such a clear voice - I felt like I knew them already. I invited them to be a part of Mind the Gap, an interdisciplinary performance I hosted at Green Street Studios last season, and was once again impressed by the seamlessness with which they dance together. Over the course of this season of ...that's what she said, I have been impressed over and over by their drive, their work ethic, their thirst for learning and growing, and their clear commitment to their craft. They have been everything I could ever want an artist in this cohort to be. Get to know them a little deeper, and I am sure you will fall in love, too.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN CREATING AND IN WHAT CONTEXT? AB/RL: We've been creating work together for about 4 years - primarily through the dance program at Salem State University. After graduating, we continued to create work in the Greater Boston area for events including Salem Arts Festival, Dancing Queerly, The Festival of Us, OnStage 360, and Mind the Gap. WHAT TENDS TO BE YOUR INSPIRATION OR CATALYST FOR CREATION? AB/RL: We're often inspired by the art we consume - our friends, our mentors, and strangers inspire us everyday whether it's at a performance, a museum, or in the community. RL: Honestly, I've been really interested in how all different types of people are involved in the Boston dance community. Because I'm not primarily a dancer, I love seeing how inclusive the environment can be, especially in projects like Kristin's. Experiencing the array of perspectives based on their lived knowledge makes me feel comfortable. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE BOSTON DANCE COMMUNITY? AB/RL: We've been involved in the Boston dance community since we began college (5ish years). So many of Salem State's professor's have been involved in the Boston dance community - Jenna Pollack, Meghan McLyman, and Betsy Miller (to name a few). DURING YOUR TIME IN THE BOSTON DANCE COMMUNITY, WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED ARE STRENGTHS OF THE COMMUNITY? WHAT ARE WEAKNESSES? DO YOU FEEL APART OF THE COMMUNITY? RL: I like that I can go into a classroom and see all different types of bodies and people moving together. Though I wish there were more affordable ways to be involved with the dance community - and that our economy supported the arts better. AB: I think one of the strengths and weaknesses of our community is how incestuous it can be. Once we form bonds with each other it's life long and deep. However, it can also keep us in certain circles, rather than branching out to others. At large I feel a part of the Boston dance community. However, certain spaces feel more welcoming than others. I like seeing people like me. I'm queer, fat, and biracial - I don't like being in environments where everyone looks the same. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR COMMUNITY? AB: Lately, I have been more involved with the queer dance community. I have been teaching for Jo Troll's queer dance workshops and meeting folks with all levels of dance experience. RL: My community consists of friends and colleagues from dance and social work. My goal is to incorporate dance into my therapeutic practice. YOUR PIECE FOR TWSS IS ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP. FROM WHAT LENS ARE YOUR APPROACHING THIS INTIMATE SUBJECT MATERIAL, AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE AROUND THIS CONCEPT? AB/RL: Dance is the third member of our relationship. It's how we came out to Angie's family, it's how we said I love you for the first time, it's how we communicate everyday - it felt natural to dance about our relationship. IN THE SECOND SEASON OF TWSS, YOU PARTICIPATED AS GUEST ARTSITS IN A SMALL INTERDISCIPLINARY EVENT LEADING UP TO THE MAIN SHOW. WHAT ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE MADE YOU WANT TO SIGN ON TO BE A PART OF THE MAIN COHORT THIS SEASON? AB/RL: We wanted to be a part of the cohort to be a part of this community of women. We've seen most of their work before and we wanted the opportunity to receive feedback from them. Another big part is that we always feel valued when Kristin curates a performance. She is thoughtful about who she invites and works hard to pay her artists. WHAT HAS BEEN MOST GRATIFYING ABOUT THIS CURRENT SEASON OF TWSS? AB/RL: Naturally, we feel nervous going into a showing or rehearsal with other people - especially when we're showing a work that's so intimate. However, we always leave showings feeling validated and encouraged to keep exploring our movement. Working with all types of women in different stages of their career has been so amazing - we love being able to receive feedback from so many perspectives. WHAT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES HAVE YOU BEEN GRANTED OR HAVE YOU BEEN EXPLORING LATELY? AB/RL: Lately, I've been exploring arts administration and social media management through an internship with Peter DiMuro / Public Displays of Motion and my job at Salem State's Center for the Arts. This past year I've also been able to teach a variety of Queer Dance Workshops to adults of all levels and locally to children at small studios. WHERE CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WORK? WHAT COMES AFTER TWSS? https://angelinabenitez819.wixsite.com/angelina-benitez IG: she_moves_and_makes Upcoming Queer Dance Workshops: https://jotroll.wordpress.com/queer-dance-workshops/ RL: I am finishing grad school and finding a position as a social worker. AB: I will be performing an improvisational score with a quartet at AS220 in Providence, RI this April in the Emerging Artists Showcase. WHAT SUPPORT DO YOU NEED MOST IN ORDER TO CONTINUE TO GROW AS ARTISTS AND MAKERS? The continued emotional support from our family, friends, fellow artists, and our mentors. As teachers we're grateful to have resources - like studio space at our fingertips. We need to keep having resources like space and opportunities to show our work. We also grow from having conversations about art with other artists and with people who may not consider themselves artists. written by kristin wagnerPublished March 3, 2020
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AuthorThis blog contains contributions from several women with who we are grateful to work. Head over to our TEAM page to learn more about who we are; scan our archives to learn more about what we think. Archives
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Top Cover Photo: "shell" by I.J. Chan, Image by Haley Abram Photography
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