The Mile performed by Lilly Parsons
Artist Statement
Dance has been used for storytelling globally for centuries. From rituals to ballets, communicating via movement comes naturally. In my work “I talk with my hands—her hands,” I wanted to honor the women artists in my own family. Many women in my matriarchal lineage worked with forms requiring dexterity and detail, such as embroidery and cross-stitch, sewing, collage, baking, etc. My mind then went to their strong and gentle hands, so I chose to draw focus to my hands and fingers in choreography. It emphasizes the detail and intricacies of their art. I have always been attracted to the smallness and specificity of gesture—so much can be said with minimal movement. I enter the creative process with a story I’d like to tell and gather a few distinct movement that I feel are representative of this story. Then, I can build outward from this base gesture story into fuller movement. Gesture and “body language” appear in daily life, so using it in performance is accessible and understandable to an audience. This is not to say that there is necessarily an easily interpretable narrative, but that hopefully I express and honor the stories of the women who came before me and the beautiful things they created with their own hands.
