Art remains a space where we can still find reflection, hope, joy and purpose.
My first week “back to work” was actually spent entirely away from my desk, attending performances, peeking into dance works-in-process, and meeting arts colleagues for lunches, coffees and cocktails.
Kim Chan & me, photo by Lexi Webster Photo
Many of you know that I generally head into the annual APAP conference prematurely cranky about how much energy I’ll need to expend — running to and fro for back-to-back shows and using up each drop of extroversion I have…
But this year, I was grateful for the opportunity to focus solely on art for 4 straight days.
I mingled with my fellow dance professionals at Dance/USA’s Dance Forum, swapping inspiring stories from our successes in the field. I shared meals with members of my extended Jacob’s Pillow family, and I leaned on the shoulder of a college bestie while re-traumatizing ourselves during a theater piece about Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford.
I saw Urban Bush Women, Dance Iquail, Music from the Sole, Soles of Duende, Brian Brooks, barkha dance co., Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Oo-ga-la Reimagined, David Dorfman Dance, Ronald K. Brown’s EVIDENCE, Wally Cardona & Molly Lieber, and more.
I reveled in the compositional wisdom of our choreographic elders.
I savored sitting with a movement theme, repeating and repeating.
I delighted in the palpable camaraderie among performers.
I relished in conversations about form, artistry and rigor.
There is a lot of turmoil, violence and fear in our world right now. (F*ck ICE.) Art remains a space where we can still find reflection, hope, joy and purpose.
new sticker from David Dorfman Dance
What I’m keeping for the year ahead
There are several things I remembered during APAP that I want to hold onto in 2026:
- Joy as an imperative
- Collaboration over solitary toiling
- Reiteration to communicate a point
- Playing with structure and form
- Connection above transaction
- Sharing our flowers without shying away from praise
What do you think? What are you bringing with you this year?
Thank you, artists—love you lots!
