This week we are excited to feature Koryn Ann Wicks! Koryn started working with the company in 2012 during our chashama Anita’s Way residencies and performances, and then joined us as a Guest Artist in 2013. Below she shares her background and process as a dancer. Please come see her perform on June 21! http://www.ticketfly.com/event/571661
I began dancing when I was around 3 or 4 years old. My older sister started taking dance classes the year before me and when I went to her recital I threw a huge fit because I wasn’t allowed to dance on the stage. One of the teachers took pity on me and let me come up on stage for the finale. After that I was hooked.
To me, dance has always been a kind of balancing act between physical and emotional. At its core, dance is a form of expression through movement; it is the ability to communicate with the body. For me it’s really about navigating that relationship; having the technique to execute movement and the artistic presence to make that movement speak.
I think that I can express this best through ballet. I’ve always really loved ballet. I love the lines, the purity of the technique, and the strength it gives you as a dancer. Although I don’t perform a lot of ballet, its definitely the foundation of my technique.
I also really enjoy a lot of the newer contemporary dance forms such as Gaga or Sidra Bell’s contemporary systems. I like the emphasis on improvisation I see in a lot of contemporary forms and the way they encourage us to find new forms within the body.
These forms of dance make me feel a strong connection to sound. There are a lot of instances when I’m rehearsing where I think of movement in terms of a noise; silly things, like thinking of a chug as a grunt to get the right quality.
I’m also really big on physical precision in my dancing. The dancers I most admire have a beautiful sense of precision and its something I’m always striving towards in my work. There is something really serene in giving each movement its due; not rushing through them, executing with integrity.
