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Residency in New York
...Start spreading the news!...
...Start spreading the news!...
06.17.2024
The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts has just announced six winning artists for The Artists Residency at the Center and I’m thrilled to be one of them! The artists are specialised in different artistic disciplines. Two visual artists, 2 writers, a composer and a choreographer (that’s me!) have been selected. We will stay in Manhattan, New York, where we will exchange each morning and evening. The Center will facilitate tailor-made workspaces throughout the city for us to use and will also provide opportunities to progress our proposed work.
The theme for the residency is “Inspiration”-- where do ideas come from and how can they be courted, developed, and refined? I look forward to sharing my process with fellow artists and learning about their processes in relation to how they receive inspiration.
My residency project will focus on ‘ikigai’ – a Japanese concept meaning, 'reason for being', or otherwise expressed, 'something that gives a person a sense of purpose'. I began my research in January when I choreographed a piece on BYU’s CDT company (see news item '2024 starts in America'). I will now go further in my research to explore the extent to which humans are wired to discover their ikigai and conversely, why so many people feel they don’t have or aren’t entitled to having an ikigai. I look forward to working with New York based dancers, actors and dance filmmakers.
Outside studio time, I look forward to soaking up inspiration from exhibitions, performances, street art, concerts and the energy of different neighbourhoods. Absorbing New York’s dichotomy of creative energy and commercial craziness will also contextualise my research on ikigai.
Looking for a unique choreographic collaboration?
With a diverse range of experience in choreographing for dance and theatre companies with professional, international, cross-generational and inclusive casts, Vanessa Cook offers a positive partnership.