FLOODESIGN

Parenthood When he was little, one of my son's favorite things was to watch The Sound of Music. We would make these little milk carton macaroni puppets to perform along with the DVD. I realized my son was watching the same way I was when I first went to see The Sound of Music. I made Fräulein Maria, in a certain way, to have a discussion with my then four- and five-year-old children, Liam and Gigi. Several of us in the early Joe's Pub performances were new parents with young children, and the original dedication for the show said "Fräulein Maria is humbly dedicated to..." and it had the names of our children, " just in case you want to know what it is that Mommy and Daddy do." Making New Work I love making things. If you give me the structure of making something, I'll do it, whether it's a dance or a tasty omelet. I love making things with a bunch of people. Do you know the children's story "Stone Soup"? Making a new piece is like that; it's like the meals you make with friends. I like the whole process of making dance, theater, film. Everyone contributes. I like that synthesis, that collision of the marketplace of ideas and the bickering and the stuff that goes into making something. His Playlist My playlist includes everything from top 40 to old '70s soul to Buxtehude. I like Kendrick Lamar and Jally Kebba Susso, an African griot and master kora player. I like Fleetwood Mac and ukulele covers of the Adventure Time songs. I listen to everything from David Byrne to Bach, from the polyphonies of Carlo Gesualdo to the old Nelson Riddle orchestrations of Sinatra music that remind me of my grandfather. History In a certain way, my works are like a journal. It's also me having imaginary conversations in dance history. Mo(or)town/Redux is a mixture of Shakespeare, José Limón, the dance " I love making things. If you give me the structure of making something, I'll do it, whether it's a dance or a tasty omelet. " line from Soul Train, Cholly Atkins [the dancer/choreographer who created the trademark moves of many major Motown acts], and my own love of hip hop. The piece is me marching through histories and asking questions about dealing with loss, of love gained and love lost. Kung Fu, Soul Train, Buster Keaton, and The House of Ninja I was inspired to start dancing by lots of things. Growing up watching kung fu films like The Five Deadly Venoms, all the stuff you hear Wu-Tang Clan mentioning. I love wuxia, which is kung fu film choreography, by masters like Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Stephen Chow, and Yuen Wu Ping. I grew up loving Soul Train. I learned to do The Robot. Early funk style. I also loved Hapless Bizarre Choreographed by Doug Elkins Photo: © Jamie Kraus, courtesy of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival www.peakperfs.org 47

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