At the beginning of this year, mature dance artists Kun-Yang Lin, Gus Solomons jr and Pallabi Chakravorty had their first engagement for the Where is my B-O-D-Y project at Theatre Exile in Philadelphia— A discovery process to develop new movement methods for artists who are navigating lives as mature creators with physical limitations.

The ongoing goals are to explore physical possibilities and identify methods to investigate the project’s key questions:

How do I rediscover my own body?

How do I transmit effectively when my body is failing me?

Where is my B-O-D-Y also includes developing strategies to break movement habits through engagements with Pallabi and Gus in both Philadelphia and NYC.

All three artists started the process in a new, unfamiliar space— Theatre Exile in South Philadelphia. The artists exchanged information on their heritage and dance backgrounds, learning how they each identify as artists and discovering each other’s rituals for self cultivation and creativity.

To begin movement explorations, Gus encouraged an improvisation exercise with closed eyes. Kun-Yang noticed his mind was too busy and he seemed afraid to move. Pallabi enjoyed a task with no goal. Gus became curious about what the video of their movement will look like.

After the encounter, Philadelphia videographer Bob Finkelstein sent the footage to the collaborators. Observations included how Pallabi is trained in Kathak, a classical Indian dance form which often includes standing in place, yet she moved confidently throughout the space. In contrast, Kun-Yang and Gus identify more as modern and contemporary artists and yet they tended to move in place.

Support for the research and development of WHERE IS MY B-O-D-Y has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.