LEAN IN
October 2022
"Lean in," Kuntz and Company's newest work, explores what it means to show up and lean into possibility. Creators and performers include Naquoia Bautista, Alona Christman, Vanessa Daines, Brooke Evans, Pam Kuntz, Ella Mahler, Caitlin Schafte, Angela Sebastian, and Kate Stevenson. (link to artist bios) Bellingham dance audiences may remember these artists from past Kuntz and Company work, Bellingham Repertory Dance Company performances, and/or WWU dance concerts. Many of them have performed together for years and have developed an intimate knowledge of each others' tendencies and strengths, allowing for a wildly imaginative and wholly collaborative approach to the creation of this new work. While Kuntz is always collaborative in her approach to creating work, she typically identifies a theme (motherhood, body image, HIV/AIDS) and partners with non-trained community members to tell their stories surrounding that theme. This time Kuntz's only collaborators are trained dancers and what they bring to the table: a wide range of personal stories wrapped inside of their movement truths and capabilities. This time the piece is about the dancers themselves, and what they bring to and bring out of each other. There is a chance that "Lean in" is about what it means to be a dancer at the age of 25, 35, 45 and 53 - Kuntz hasn't quite hit the 55 mark - but that wasn't the goal. It really is about showing up and seeing what can be discovered.
Photos by Breeann Johnson.