Drew Berry, one of our current Artists in Residence, will be presenting her new work Portraiture at the 2021 Guelph Dance Festival during the In the Virtual Park series. We talked to Drew about her work and the process of creating it:
GD: What are you most excited about telling the audience about your work?
DB: I’m extremely excited to share with audiences my journey throughout the past year with my film, Portraiture. This project is a movement journal, much like a personal diary that I am about to release into the world. I am most looking forward to sharing the incredible work that has been crafted by the brilliant collaborators on this project. Dakota Burpee, a textile artist and garment maker, has designed and handmade four exquisite costumes for Portraiture. The detail and care put into creating these pieces is breath-taking and these costumes have inspired many movement themes in the work. I am also currently working with musicians Nefe and Benjamin Shapiro, who are collaborating to create an original and moving soundtrack for the film.
GD: Were there any surprising benefits to the process of bringing your work online?
DB: Yes, streamlining my focus! At the beginning of this residency I was imagining so many possibilities about how I could create this film but also desired to bring it to life in real time. Limiting myself to an online experience has allowed me to hone in on a specific vision for this film.
GD: What do you hope the audience will take away from your work?
DB: I hope audiences will be curious, surprised, comforted, and to reflect on their own experiences as I bring them along on my journey through this film. I hope viewers are encouraged to find a gentle sense of admiration for the inevitability of change.
You can see Portraiture on Saturday, June 5 at 7PM.