This past January, Green Space is proud to have completed our first cohort of the Digging In Group (D.I.G.), a program of Fertile Ground! The show was nearly sold out and full of enthusiastic audience members supporting six choreographers. Unlike other Fertile Ground performances, this show was special, as every choreographer had spent the last four months building their pieces in the cohort.
The program began in September, where the dancers met each other and the moderators who would be helping them through their creative processes. For 8 sessions, the artists came together presented the progress on their pieces, getting feedback and pointing out areas where they felt stuck.
“It was wonderful to have a group of people that I was seeing regularly that were invested to a similar process and goal,” (Harper Foote). Dancers had the opportunity to not only talk with peers but meet mentors from the Green Space Advisory Board, who afforded the dancers a fresh eye at their work, as well as years of hard earned insight. Advisory Board members include Chris Ferris, Aviva Geismar, Nicole McClam, Jonathan Matthews, and Executive Director Valerie Green. Harper continues, “hearing advice and wisdom from the moderators was… supportive and expansive.”
Time and space, two hot commodities in New York City, were at the front of this program. Choreographing works can be isolating and frustrating, making choreographers feel stuck in their own head and unable to get momentum to break through their creative blocks. The structure of D.I.G. allowed the dancers to really “dig” into their creative processes and hold themselves and each other accountable.
“I always was so grateful to hear the feedback from my peers and the facilitator as it shaped my process and provided much needed shifts in perspective,” (Campbell Ives). Sometimes, the best idea comes out of a change in approach, and Green Space was a space where artists could try something to get out of a rut, supported by their peers, without worrying about failing. It often had wonderful breakthroughs. “It made me feel that there was no ‘wrong’ answer or scenario. Everyone was supportive and gave great critical feedback,” (Mason Lee).
Backstage of the show, one could see the community built by the dancers. They were chatting and helping each other with costumes, making friends with the other dancers in the casts and expanding their networks. “Being new to the city, the D.I.G. cohort made me feel more grounded in my connections within the dance space,” says Emma Dulski. Emerging choreographers have lost valuable networking opportunities as a result of isolation and a total standstill in performances due to the pandemic, and Digging In Group helps to mend that gap.
A shift in perspective is what performing art is all about, and talking to others who have different backgrounds, both in life and in movement style, can facilitate discoveries never before imagined. “The creative process has many peaks and valleys… it was great to be able to journey collectively with other movers navigating through the same process,” says Will Green. Na An adds, “D.I.G. members played the ‘outside eyes’ and provided different perspectives. The feedback helped me shape and detail my process and choice-making. I felt very involved, although we have different backgrounds.”
So who is this program for? This program is for anyone looking to get out of a creative rut, have a shift in perspective, or find a new network of creators. It’s “for anyone wanting to experiment and grow in their creative practice/voice, and open the door of possibility for themselves as a choreographer,” (Harper Foote). We are proud of the DIG artists and all they accomplished, and we cannot wait to see our next artists in the cohort thrive in their performance in June! If you are interested in joining our next cohort, visit greenspacestudio.org and register there!