In Conversation with Meredith Blackmore

During her Artistic Residency with Guelph Dance this year, Meredith Blackmore has been developing a work that will be featured in our In the Studio series at the 2022 Guelph Dance Festival. As primarily a visual artist, she finds “the line between the world of visual arts and of dance is continuously blurring”. We spoke to her about the work and the upcoming festival:

GD: What about your work are you most excited to share with the audience?

M: I created this work during the Guelph Dance Residency with the gift of time in the studio, mentor support, and a chance to really chew on ideas and feelings. I went in with the thematic question, Who are we as animals? but the process asked me first to dig deeper: Who are we when we dance?

Still image from footage by Bloom Media

GD: What was your biggest takeaway from the process of creating this work? Has the work shifted over the past few years?

M: I used to walk into the studio idea first. Now I walk in my body first and ask the idea if it would like to join. The difference is a deeper focus on the movement, letting the movement tell much more of the story. I am present in the costume instead of masked by it.

Still image from footage by Bloom Media

GD: This is the first year the GD Festival is showcasing both live and live streamed versions of artist’s works. Can you speak about the opportunity to perform in front of live audiences again as well as view your work digitally?

Thank you to all audience members, in person and virtual, and to Guelph Dance for facilitation. Let’s keep dancing on all the platforms!

You can catch Meredith at our In the Studio series, happening on Sunday, June 5th from 2:00-4:00 PM. Tickets are now on sale! Visit our festival page to see the full festival schedule and to get your tickets!

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