The proverbial question has always been "What is dance?" Movement of the body? An art form that has to have meaning? The very idea that is put upon something by a person bold enough to classify it as dancing? 

And yet no matter what the answer is, I will always be interested in partaking. Humans are born to dance and I am merely a human drifting along, hoping to dance, move, create, and locomote through the world. 

I love the feeling of the dance taking over your body and soul, I love devoting every fiber of my being to a unified goal, I love expressing myself through this impermanent and fickle art; I intend to keep on dancing until the day I perish from this earth (and yet death in itself is still a dance no?)

There is something so thrilling about working with a form that will never present itself the same way twice.

Dance is my vessel to create worlds, write narratives, and convey emotions. I love planning and coming up with concepts while simultaneously letting the work change and develop in the moment. I love the process of collaborating with others in order to create work that matters to the dancers. I love watching my work and being so excited to see what comes next. It is this love and devotion that drives me to choreograph. And if I don't love my art, why should I expect an audience to? 

I like to move it move it

To be a shelf. To be a table. To hang. To lean. To push and pull. To fall. To catch. 

If everyone had to take a contact improvisation course the world would be a better place. It is a practice of giving and receiving, speaking and listening, and safely working as a team. A contact jam is my happy space and I love getting to experience different dynamics depending on who I'm dancing with. 

I AM STRONG PLEASE LET ME LIFT YOU.

I may be small but I am mighty. Growing up I was always the third shortest in the class so I got to experience both being lifted and lifting. Now it is the same as my work with contact improvisation and partnering have further enhanced my skills. 

To be a good partner is to understand the mechanics of a lift and the equal transaction that occurs between the lifted and the lifter. Efficiency can do a lot more than brute strength can (though my pelvis and lower body are pretty darn strong). 

The dance world is changing and the idea that only cis males can lift is outdated. Anyone can lift, but you'll never see it happen if you never give them the opportunity. 

Theater, like dance, is one of the many performance arts. 

These two in particular are so inherently intertwined that it is difficult to partake in one without also doing the other. 

In order to dance, you must be able to act.

In order to act, you must be able to dance. 

If you do not believe yourself, no one will believe you. 

So of course I want to partake in theater and acting! 

It seems only natural. 

Dance was never meant to be silent. The choice to be silent requires just as much thought as the choice to make noise. 

In dance we must be able to move all parts of our body to express ourselves - which includes the vocal cords. 

Whether it be part of a performance, in class cheering our peers on, or speaking up for much needed change in the dance world; our voice is a necessary tool for dancers. 

When I was younger I wanted to be a popstar.

Not really because I wanted to be famous, but because I really loved listening to and creating music. 

I eventually figured out that I can share this love using dance through musicality and creating music/sound scores for my choreography. 

Dance is a visceral, full body experience, so sound is just as important to dance as the movement.

As a naturally competitive spirit, I have always loved playing games (and of course trying my hardest to win).

Games allow you to connect to others, as well as push you to experience things you otherwise would not experience in your day-today life.

By finding ways to gamify dance, I increase my ability to connect with people and I decrease the predictability of choices/outcomes. 

Honesty is...

• Staying true to yourself

• Speaking up for what's right

• Following your instincts

• Admitting when you're wrong

• Asking quetions

• Knowing that you don't know everything

• Being self-aware

It took me a long time to realize that dance doesn't need to be so serious.

It's very easy to get stuck in an elitist mindset when it comes to dance, but that just makes everything feel limiting and miserable. 

I don't want to be miserable.

I want to dance and play and love what I'm doing for as long as possible. 

There comes a time when the young child who was always told "Honesty is the best policy" realizes that one must learn to lie.

Why, even the very mantra of "Honesty is the best policy" in itself is a lie. 

And when the child finally learns to lie, you will never be able to discern when they are lying and when they are not, for you had always told them to tell the truth and that the child did. 

So the result was that the child became not only good at lying, but particularly good at knowing when to lie, for sometimes it is better to tell a lie than to tell a truth that is not ready to be heard.

Improvisation scores are a great tool for artists to use. 

They allow for freedom of choice, while still providing a much-needed structure that provides meaning and cohesion. 

I love both participating in and creating improv scores, and seeing how they contribute to a larger story. 

It's me.

I'm Lydia.

Of course I'm interested in myself.

If I'm not interested in Lydia then how can I expect anyone else to be?