DanceWeb Scholarship 2019

Experience Report danceWEB 2019 Vienna, Alice Heyward

“To return to Impulstanz this summer for the danceWEB scholarship, this time in the role of the ‘frog’ was strange and glorious. My experiences from 2016 were vivid and thick in my mind and body, from such a unique cohort and group dynamic. I felt nervous upon arriving at the boarding school, positive that I was about to undergo another transformative period of time, but not yet knowing with whom, or exactly how… The group chemistry ended up being radically different to that of 2016: then, it was quite fierce, with more sparky bouts of group unrest and action, as well as many more nights wasted at the lounge before days spent learning Tino Sehgal’s ‘This Situation’. This year’s social architecture was far softer, warmer, more tender. There seemed to be an emphasis on working collectively within our backgrounds, and this lent toward a very natural group affinity, based on trust and kindness. Anne and Annie’s energies contributed to this dynamic, their feminist practices leaking into the web.

Being part of the program once again grounded and expanded my practice through exposure to inspiring artists, methodologies and matters. Anne Juren and Annie Dorsen (in conversation with Mette Ingvartsen), created a frame for soft and abundant exchange among a group of 45 international artists congregating for the long-lasting affair. My experience this year reflected my artistic development since 2016, when I was a danceWEBber through Tino Sehgal’s mentorship.

Workshops with Anne Juren, Philipp Gehmacher, Mette Edvartsen, Jonathon Burrows, Will Rawls, Bryana Fritz and Michiel Vandevelde facilitated fresh avenues for me to practice through anatomical imagination, the relationship between body and memory, choreographic editing techniques and to embrace choreographic frames for non-sense making. Seeing performances such as “NO CHANGE, OR “FREEDOM IS A PSYCHO-KINETIC SKILL” by DD Dorvillier, “IT IS A BALANCING ACT TO LIVE WITHOUT YOUR ATTENTION” by Phillip Gehmacher and “CUTLASS SPRING” by Dana Michel were utterly inspiring for me in multiple ways, and the resonances of these performances have influenced my desires and perspectives in my own artistic processes, carrying through into the projects that await me now in the aftermath of danceWEB.”

Alice Heyward