Plant Flowers Now … Pick Weeds Later
is my choreographic research project culminated in a guided walking tour, highlighting site-specific dance and introducing reflective processes. By integrating audio, visual, and improvisational elements, the audience can deeply engage with both my research and the environment in a unique way. The title serves as a metaphor for the creative journey, emphasizing the nurturing of ideas while allowing space for challenges to be addressed later. Ultimately, the project invited participants to experience the evolving relationship between movement, space, and reflection.
The following are selections from this project. The full walking tour and research can be found by clicking on the green button below.
Dissociation
This chapter emerged from an attempt to embody the sensation of disassociation—a state characterized by emotional detachment and a distancing from the present moment. Initially, I struggled to capture this feeling through structured choreographic approaches, which led to repeated blocks in the studio. Despite persistent effort, nothing resonated until I abandoned predetermined objectives and allowed myself to move without direction. It was in this state of unplanned exploration that I entered a profound flow state (Csikszentmihalyi, 2014), resulting in an improvised movement sequence that ultimately formed the foundation of this chapter.
Drawing on Turner’s (1971) concept of nonliteral dance and Tufnell & Crickmay’s (1990) assertion that improvisation arises when we “cease to know what is going to happen” (p. 46), I discovered that the act of letting go—both mentally and physically—was key to accessing new choreographic territory. This process also revealed a shift in movement initiation: unlike my musical theatre background, where movement often radiates outward from the core, this chapter emphasized distal initiation, particularly through the arm, creating unexpected pathways and textures in the body.
Attempts to recreate the improvisation revealed a new challenge: intense motion sickness due to altered spinal alignment and head orientation. Eventually, I realized that it was not just the movement but the internal state—flow, presence, and disassociation itself—that needed to be recreated. Once I approached the studio with this understanding, the work began to coalesce. This chapter thus reflects a significant moment in my practice: a departure from goal-driven processes and a deepening of trust in embodied intuition.
Ain’t What it Used to be
This chapter explores the emotional landscape of maternal connection through the lens of personal memory and embodied imagery. Developed during a period of homesickness, the work draws inspiration from my relationship with my mother—particularly from the time I first left home for university to the present day. Stitch patterns from her many sewing projects served as the initial spark for movement generation, eventually shaping a dual solo structure where I perform both myself and my mother on opposite sides of the frame. Inspired by Stuart Hodes’s concept of "implied relationship" in solo work, the piece evokes a felt connection between two people who cannot see or hear each other, yet remain deeply linked across time and distance.
Though the work relies heavily on imagery—such as mountains, trees, and tactile memories of being rocked as a child—I question its alignment with Turner’s idea of nonliteral dance. The imagery I employ is rooted in tangible, lived experiences rather than abstract conceptualism. However, I remained committed to a nonliteral choreographic process, allowing instinct and sensation to guide structure. The chapter ultimately embraces a linear progression, which may conflict with Turner’s ideal, but felt necessary to honor the emotional clarity and sincerity of the material. In this way, the work balances between personal narrative and broader choreographic inquiry.
