29 encounters
February, 2023
29 Encounters explores our encounters with others, and how our choices to arrive, react, and depart shape emerging relationships. The encounters were acquired through improvisation and accumulation, then collaboratively shaped to reveal a relational arc. We intentionally researched a range of encounters: from strangers to significant others, discussing an array of emotional reactions and physical instincts at the moment of encounter. This piece relies on a straightforward compositional structure and walking score to reveal the nuance and power of every interaction with the people in our lives. Over time, these encounters gradually shape complex yet inevitable relationships.
This work was developed for festival and outreach presentation around the Midwest. It has been shown at Modern Night at the Gem in Kansas City, MO, Detroit Dance City Festival in Detroit, MI, in St. Louis, MO as part of RDC's 2023 Entry Points and in 2025 as part of Ready...Set...Dance! for St. Louis Public Libraries.
credits
Title: 29 Encounters
Direction: Emily Haussler
Choreography: Emily Haussler in collaboration with Michelle Parkhurst and Chrissy Clair Greer
Premiere: Feb. 2023 at Modern Night at the Gem, Kansas City, MO
Presenting Organizations: City in Motion, ArtLab J, RESILIENCE Dance Company
Dancers: Michelle Parkhurst and Chrissy Clair Greer; Ashlynn Woelbling and Abbi LeBaube
Lighting Design: Dominick Ehling (Entry Points)
Costume Design: Chrissy Clair Greer
Additional Performances: Detroit Dance City Festival (2023, Detroit, MI); Entry Points (October, 2023, St. Louis, MO); Ready...Set...Dance! (January 2025, St. Louis, MO)