Surveillance in Motion: The Performance
Maestro
Choreographed by Jonathan Royse Windham
Compositions by Felix Herbst
This work asks what happens when we voluntarily give information to those conducting surveillance in exchange for validation, the addictive quality of instant gratification, and what is left after so much of you is exposed.
“This process has made me reexamine what performance can be, and made me reconsider where to put focus and energy. When the potential for an audience is everywhere it vastly changes the way I create, perceive my personal process, and I now recognize that we are constantly in that state. We should all ask ourselves "when am I performing....?"“
This is NOT a Performance
Choreographed by Christina Rozanna
Compositions by McKinley Foster
This is Not a Performance explores the internal pressure of constantly feeling observed—within training spaces, performance environments, and even moments meant for growth. Rooted in the experience of taking dance class, the work reflects the tension between freedom and self-surveillance: the need to appear skilled, productive, expressive, and “on” at all times. Through repetition, interruption, and exaggerated self-correction, the piece reveals the chaos of inner dialogue and the exhausting desire to perform, even in spaces intended for learning, vulnerability, and exploration.
“The creation process for this work was unexpectedly challenging because the freedom to create without strict structure initially felt intimidating. Within the context of surveillance, the constant presence of cameras during the incubator process heightened my awareness of myself and often made me feel as though simply thinking, pausing, or reflecting was not enough—that I always needed to be visibly producing movement. Over time, I realized that my creative process is deeply internal and reflective. Much of this work was developed through writing, listening to the music repeatedly to uncover subtle textures and musical layers, and engaging in continuous inner dialogue. This process ultimately reshaped my understanding of creation, allowing me to recognize that stillness, observation, and thought are just as essential to artistry as movement itself.”
Reality in Motion
Choreographed by Max Villegas
Compositions by Aiden Aston
Reality in Motion is the third iteration about Reality Winner, a whistleblower for confirming Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential Election. Winner, a former Air Force veteran and National Security Agency translator, was interrogated and arrested in her own home for leaking an NSA Pulse article to The Intercept, a New-York based publication she thought would keep her identity in confidence. In 2018, Winner was given the longest prison sentence for someone who leaked classified governmental information to the media. Her story was created into a play, and then a film, both directed by Tina Satter, who uses the FBI’s verbatim transcript from the day of Winner’s interrogation and subsequent arrest. As the third iteration of Winner’s story, Reality in Motion explores what it means to have reality framed in a way that doesn’t honor truth, but rewards oppressive systems of government. How do we reconcile a version of reality that upholds our basic principles of our democracy? This piece aims to honor Winner with the dignity her story deserves and to question how we construct narrative, even when we’re faced with something so real–it’s irrefutable.
“Creating this piece while under surveillance has only felt like the most proper, authentic way to capture how someone acts and presents themselves when every move is being watched. Although I’ve felt mainly unfazed by the cameras, Instagram lives, and physical heart tracker that’s capturing my biometric data, it’s only helped inform my piece more in knowing this is only the process. What’s real, what’s true, is what I perform onstage. It felt natural to create this piece about Winner, already having the language from the transcript, the film, and how to build that into a movement-based story. This process has forced me to think about what it means to commit to an idea, and that when I believe in the idea, I’ve been able to create something that feels the most authentic to me.”
Snarlerrr
Choreographed by Summer Breeze
Compositions by Erik Ventrice
A Portrait of a solitary protector. Untamed, fluid and relentless in their pursuit to defend what remains of their species.
“This process has been incredibly unique. My creative process is rarely documented, so I’m grateful to have this surveillance footage as both a marker in time and a way to reflect on my work, improve my practice, and witness my own growth over time. Watching myself has also given me the insight and confidence to experiment further.”
