The Body As the Medium: An Exploration of Movement-Based Art

You are invited to join arts-based social networking group, Women of Culture on Tuesday May 26th for a virtual viewing party and discussion with Hivewild’s Founder and Artistic Director, Katherine Maxwell, and some of her company members.

More than just a dance company, Hivewild is a contemporary movement initiative with a vision of creating movement-based artworks that act as a conduit to more united communities.

Maxwell will guide us through viewings of some of her signature works and tell us more about her choreographic process, and what it means to make art through movement, blurring the lines between performance, installation and human encounter.

We will also have the chance to chat with some of her company members who, more than just dancers, are local leaders who actively engage in cross-disciplinary collaboration, skill-sharing and the creation of the artworks.

This is a great session for anyone who is interested in the future of contemporary dance and how movement can be used as a platform for mindfulness, human acceptance and community development.

As with all of our virtual connection sessions, there will also be time to connect with the community and get to know the fellow attendees.

The session is being offered by donation, with limited comp tickets available to those who have been financially impacted by COVID-19. All registrants will receive the zoom call-in info on their receipt and a recording will be made available afterwards.

***

More about Hivewild:

HIVEWILD IS A CONTEMPORARY MOVEMENT INITIATIVE CREATED TO UNLOCK EMOTION AND IGNITE CONVERSATION THROUGH FORMAL PERFORMANCES AND PUBLIC PROGRAMMING DEDICATED TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

WHILE IN PUBLIC PERCEPTION DANCE CAN SEEM CRYPTIC AND ELUSIVE, MOVEMENT IS INTRINSIC TO EACH OF OUR DAILY EXISTENCES. EVERY HUMAN HAS A BODY, AND HIVEWILD USES THIS UNDERSTANDING AS A STARTING POINT TO IDENTIFY CONNECTIONS RATHER THAN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PEOPLE. ENGAGING WITH THIS IDEA CAN ALLOW GREATER MOBILITY IN THOUGHT, FEELING, AND ACTION.

WITH A STRONG BELIEF IN THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GENUINE IMPULSE, HIVEWILD SHAPES WORK THROUGH THE USE OF INTERNAL TRIGGERS – A THOUGHT, A FLAVOR, AN EMOTION – TO SPURN MOTION THROUGHOUT THE BODY. A REFINED FLUIDITY AND STRONG SENSE OF HONESTY ARE SIGNATURE TO HIVEWILD’S MOVEMENTS.

WHEN ESTABLISHING NEW WORK, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR KATHERINE MAXWELL IDENTIFIES A RECURRING IDEA OR IMPULSE AND BEGINS TO INTRODUCE THESE NASCENT CONCEPTS TO HER TEAM THROUGH THE USE OF SPOKEN WORD, VISUALIZATION, AND PROPRIOCEPTIVE MOVEMENT CUES. HIVEWILD DANCERS ARE EXPECTED AND ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUOUSLY SEEK GREATER LEVELS OF EMPATHY AND VULNERABILITY. DANCERS ARE INSTRUCTED TO ENGAGE WITH EACH OTHER BOTH ON A PROFESSIONAL, TECHNIQUE-BASED LEVEL AND ON A PERSONAL, HUMAN LEVEL.

More about Katherine Maxwell:

CREATING WORK FOR THE MAIN STAGE, ALTERNATIVE SPACES AND FOR FILM, KATHERINE MAXWELL HAS BEEN PRESENTED ACROSS NEW YORK CITY VENUES INCLUDING COOPER HEWITT, SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM, VICTORI + MO GALLERY, THE CENTER FOR PERFORMANCE RESEARCH, AND ATLANTIC TERMINAL-BARCLAYS CENTER. SHE HAS BEEN FEATURED IN ART ZEALOUS’ “30 UNDER 30-ISH,” VICE, AND HER DANCE FILM THROUGH THE EYES OF MY MEAL HAS BEEN SCREENED AT 13 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS, IN ADDITION TO RECEIVING A VIMEO STAFF PICK AND CRITICS CHOICE ON NOWNESS.

MAXWELL ESTABLISHED HIVEWILD IN 2016 AS A PLATFORM TO CREATE FORMAL WORKS, ENGAGE THE BROOKLYN COMMUNITY, AND PROMOTE ARTISTIC PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN VISUAL ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, COSTUME DESIGNERS, AND BEYOND.

MAXWELL IS ACTIVELY INTERESTED IN USING MOVEMENT AS A PLATFORM FOR MINDFULNESS AND HUMAN ACCEPTANCE, AND HER PRACTICE SEEKS TO CONTINUOUSLY BLUR THE EDGES BETWEEN PERFORMANCE, INSTALLATION, AND HUMAN ENCOUNTER.