This spring, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Danceworks organization invited me to create a new performance with dancer Joëlle Worm as part of the Art to Art program. Worm and I met in New York City on September 16, 2001 in the chaos following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. We were both recent college graduates who had just moved to the city two weeks prior and we became quick friends. We supported each other through the challenging process of living and dancing in New York and collaborated for nine years until Worm moved to Milwaukee in 2010. In an effort to continue our long-term collaboration, we have utilized technology to create the dance Let’s Keep in Touch.

To bridge the 850 miles that separate us, we have talked on the phone, emailed, and posted videos of our dance rehearsals online. Video Artist Rori Smith is compiling our rehearsal footage and conversations to create a poignant video that captures aspects of our creative process. Composer Drake Z. Tyler is writing an electronic music score that creatively interprets our technological communication. We will premiere Let’s Keep in Touch August 2-4, 2013 at the Danceworks Art to Art performance series in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We will also present the piece in my hometown of Philadelphia as part of the FringeArts show Collapse/Intersect on September 13-15, 2013 at the Performance Garage.