Women in Motion Commission 2021/2022:
Pele Bauch with Kealoha Ferreira;
Donna Costello
Brilliant, challenging and charming, Women in Motion 2021-2022 Commissioned Artists Pele Bauch and Donna Costello bring their crafted, wise and compelling ingenuity to the Arts On Site stage.
The Distance Process / Dear Kanaloa
Concept and Direction: Pele Bauch
Choreography, Text and Performance: Kealoha Ferreira and Pele Bauch
Sound Design: Pele Bauch
The Distance Process / Dear Kanaloa is an exploration of distance and diaspora from the perspective of Native Hawaiians not raised with Kanaka Maoli (Hawaiian) culture and knowledge. Pele Bauch and Kealoha Ferreira dance via live-stream video from their respective cities, New York and St. Paul. In each location, the audience views one live performer and the video stream of the two artists. Zoom is used to connect to friends and family from afar, but can we use it to connect to ideas and culture? Dancing to whale song, Bauch and Ferreira look to Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the ocean, of navigation, of the underworld. He would be the one to help them navigate the darkness of ignorance, the distance of continents, oceans and ages; he would help them thread new connections in this modern day.
Creator / Performer: Donna Costello
Costume Design: Jennifer Paar
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#wildflower embraces, negotiates and transforms the complexities of feminine identities while asking the audience to look at how we see ourselves and each other. Donna distills this new work into simple tasks of shedding and opening - allowing images of femininity, cycles and age to reveal themselves through time, repetition and breath. Teamed up again with longtime collaborator and costume designer Jennifer Paar, a white tent dress that sheds when shaken is made to look like seeds scattered in the wind only to find footing where they land; resilient and belonging.
