TAKE ROOT, now in its 12th season, nurtures dance artists at established stages in their careers, pairing them in a split bill or full evening-length program. This monthly series supports dance makers’ experimentation and growth with support to present their work to the public. Take Root will present 12 aesthetically diverse artists among seven performances Jan-June 2021.

The Februrary 2021 Performances feature works by Regina Nejman and BREAKTIME. Available beginning February 5th. Donate to Watch these Take Root performances here! Be sure to select “2) TAKE ROOT – February 2021”

About the Work

Regina Nejman's Rethinking Strategies inquires into new strategies to generate movement from within and in collaboration with the space's structure, exploring the proximity relationship of two dancers. In the piece, dancers move from a state of stillness to a more energetic and free state of mind in a shifting world that invites the audience to let go of the outside chatter and confusion and enter a world of movement, music and visual kinesthetic stimulation where the body in movement is the main subject. The dance is performed by Regina Nejman and Fumihiro Kikuchi with live cellist Luke Santy. Excerpts of the piece were performed at Dixon Place on May 15th 2018 and a longer version was performed on August 15th 2018 also at Dixon Place. Luke Santy has been collaborating with Regina Nejman since 2017, and their process consists of creating live improvised sounds and music to the choreography. The choreography has some moments of improvisation as well, and this relationship creates an exciting “in the moment” awareness of all the artists involved and “brings the audience in”.

BREAKTIME'S 6’ Pole is a film adaptation of the more task-oriented material of 6’, conceived and performed by Jonathan Matthews and Holly Sass. 6’ was originally made as a performance for Arts On Site’s Arts Alive series in October 2020, with the help of space grants from Arts On Site and Spoke the Hub. Early in the pandemic, Jonathan Matthews and Holly Sass joked about making a piece with a six-foot pole strapped between their bodies. After a whole lot of national turmoil, it ended up being the only thing they felt they could do. 6’ Pole was created for Spoke the Hub’s virtual People’s Choice Showcase the following month, in collaboration with internationally recognized film artist Derrick Belcham as cinematographer. It is, perhaps for the first time, impossible to not invariably end up making work about the times we are in, the limitations of which can really feel like taking a PVC pipe to the gut.