The Ballad of Winnie the Pooh & Friends

About a month into the rehearsal process, I can say that taking this deep dive is one the best things for my work I’ve done in a long time. Feeling pumped about my cast.

I am choreographing a piece inspired by Winnie the Pooh and friends and their undiagnosed disabilities. The idea has been tossing around in my head the for last couple years. Grateful to my funders for this year of study which include my distant cousin Christopher Mitchell who lives in Tokyo. Glad to be a member of the ICONS 2020 Cohort under mentorship of Vlad Angelov and a regular attendee of Dance Loft on 14. This piece will have adult content while maintaining a child like nature. With my cast Rachael Alexandra, Covenant Babatunde, Grace Cannon, May Kesler, Kate Kight, Rachel Lawal, Turner Hitt, Leila Stehlik-Barry, and Taariq Muhammad we discuss mental health as it relates to The Hundred Acre Wood. Resources include “The Te of Piglet”, “The Tao of Pooh” and other Pooh Classics and Disney machinations.

Dance ICONS Cohort will present two evening concerts for the public which have been postponed due to Covid-19. Aiming to design a matinee tailored to families with young children and invite fellow theater buffs to participate in the process. Playing with titles and considering ‘Out to Lunch’ or ‘Rebound’.

Inside the cohort we dialogue about what about our work provokes thoughtful discussion and inquiry. We nourish our curiosity about the artform of choreography and put into practice new methods.

FOR PONDERING

How to maintain a level of play and wonder in work.

Consider this a time to write and document process of living.

Knowing we will have lots of young movers and shakers in the audience, what kind of impression do we want to leave about these furry friends.

How do we acknowledge how precious animals are to our existence?