Presented by SMUSH Gallery as part of the Curatorial Fellowship in Dance Program '20-'21. Essence of Embodiment Festival 2021 is a donation-based four-day virtual experience.
Part film festival, part dance intensive---the festival offered a combination of film premieres, interactive live-streamed work, and talks by established and emerging filmmakers and choreographers, and print publications.
EOEFF is one of the few festivals where the filmmakers also facilitate the movement workshops. We hope you’ll enjoy this opportunity to connect and build support around moving through obstacles and realizing your power.
15+ films, 15+ movement workshops, 4 artist talks, 4-day virtual experience
Ethos
Through dance and film, we’ll be examining techniques to release fear & trauma, re-align the body with the mind while bringing together a group of multi-generational, multi-racial, dancers, artists, & writers through conversations about lessons they’ve learned throughout their careers. Ultimately exploring the theme of Somatic Awareness, Authority, and Ownership of the Body.
Embodied Creator Highlights
I created 4 to 6 page spreads for each filmmaker, teacher/movement facilitator, and writer in my efforts to promote the event and everyone's work (about 45 creators total). This included a portion of their bio, workshop or film description, and an excerpt of their written work which will be included in our zine publications coming April/May 2021.
Our Filmmakers
Day One
"The Body Beautiful" - Ngozi Onwurah (1991)
"This is me eating_" - Et Alia Theatre (2020)
"TAL" - Tal Levy-Cohen (2020)
"Healing Currently Downloading" - Body Stories: Teresa Fellion Dance (2020)
"Time Capsule: A Physical Documentary" - Valerie Green/Dance Entropy (2021)
"The Rhythm of Healing" - Imani Cook-Gist (2015)
"Ballet After Dark" B. Monét (2017)
Day Two
"Fire in the Mountain" - DANCE MONKS (2020)
"I'm Another Yourself" - Marianna Koytsan (2020)
"...to be continued" - Margaret Wiss (2020)
"器官嬉戲 Organ Play" - 江峰 Jiang Feng (2019)
"Or...?" - Jas Lin (2020)
"Floodstream" - Erin McNulty and Suzanna Dessau (2020)
"The Body Keeps the Score" - Audrey Thao Berger (2019)
Day Three
"AndShe" - Sophie Zimmer (2016)
"Out of the Folds of Women" - Anabella Lenzu (2020)
"Beauty Ritual" -Jas Lin (2021)
"XwhY" - Karley Wasaff (2021)
"Interstice" - Paul Scott Bullen (2020)
"Alt-Sex 異．性" - 江峰 Jiang Feng (2020)
"Three Stages of Having to Prove Your Humanity" - Azaria Hogans (2020)
"The Process of Dying" - Nada Rosa (2021)
Day Four
"Jonah" - Helix (2018)
"Laundry Day" - Olamma Oparah (2020)
"Slice of Life" - Chien-Ying Wang (2016)
"Bear(v.)" - DualRivet (2020)
"TILT DROP ROLL" - Nicko Straniero (2020)
"AFTER DARK" - Laura Sánchez - Garcia (2020)
"Ballet Class" - Viola He (2018)
Our Teachers
Day One
Psycho-Spiritual Movement - Tal Levy-Cohen
Afro Flow Yoga - Tina Monica Williams
Four Elements - Doron Perk
Xsa Xercise - Zsameria Rayford
Self-Release Techniques - Lauren McIntyre
Day Two
Holistic Dance Therapy - Tyde-Courtney Edwards
Expressive Flamenco - Laura Sánchez-Garcia
Guided Embodiment Practices: Body, Earth, and Nature Mapping - Tai Chou-Kudu
Four Elements - Doron Perk
Windows in the Sky - Mirah Moriarty and Rodrigo Esteva of DANCE MONKS
Dance, Mind, Body - Fadi J Khoury
Day Three
Elements of Dance - Coco Motion
Interplay: Finding Inner Authority Through Body Wisdom - Nandita Batheja and Libby Mislan
Four Elements - Doron Perk
Synergy Method - Paul Scott Bullen
MORNING EXORCISE: dancing ecologies 🌱🐌🦋 - Jas Lin
Day Four
Gospel Dance 'n Tone - Marlene Watts
Crip Time, in Real Time - Dani Cole
Contemporary Graham - Wendy Powell
Four Elements - Doron Perk
Ballet & LMA for Everyone - Seyong Kim
Mantras in Motion - Betti Joann Guerra
Moving Your Story - Teresa Fellion
Our Writers
Dr. Rhoda Moise, Ph.D - "Unity"
Dr. Mrittika Sen, Ph.D - "The Essence of Creation. The Embodiment of Destruction."
Azaria Hogans - "The Artistic Process of Choreographing Pain: Catharsis and Healing in the Creative Process of Dance Making"
Aysia Middlebrooks - "When the Bean Grows"
Sabrina Sims - "Figuring out Fibromyalgia through Nutrition"
Betti Joann Guerra - "Echo La Culpa"
Festival Programming
Four jam-packed days of virtual programming; we offered our movement workshops everyday during between the hours of 9 AM and 4:30 PM ET, our films were offered through Vimeo as an on-demand service, and our artist talks were 60-minutes each including an audience Q and A in the evening.
