Images is a physical and psychological excavation of perception, conflict, and fractured realities within human relationships. At its core, the work interrogates the ways in which we construct and deconstruct identity through the lens of another—how our deepest fears, desires, and histories distort the images we project onto those closest to us. Through movement, Images explores the tension between seeing and being seen, between self-perception and external expectation, between intimacy and estrangement.
Structured as a series of shifting duets, trios, and group interactions, the choreography embodies a raw physical dialogue—pushing, pulling, collapsing, resisting—where the boundaries between support and opposition, trust and betrayal, continuously blur. The work is deeply relational, shaped by personal histories, connection, and resistance, revealing the ways in which we tether ourselves to others through memory, longing, and the stories we tell.
The movement draws from a hybrid physical language, incorporating contemporary partnering, jazz, breaking, and social dance forms that weave together intricate weight-sharing, momentum-driven shifts, and moments of explosive release. The dancers manipulate each other's weight with precision and unpredictability, navigating a constantly shifting terrain where no dynamic remains fixed. Gestural motifs surface and dissolve, echoing the ways in which identities fracture and reform through interaction.
The sonic world of Images further disorients and restructures perception. Through live and electronic soundscapes, biosensor technology, and vocalization, the score interacts directly with the dancers’ physical states, translating breath, tension, and movement into sound. This interplay between the body and the sonic environment mirrors the work’s central tension—the impossibility of a singular truth within human connection.
The work builds toward an unresolved, yet deeply resonant conclusion: what remains when the projections are stripped away? Images invites its audience to confront their own shifting realities, to question the ways in which they see and are seen, and to embrace the messy, contradictory nature of being in relation to another.
Developed through the support of the MAP Grant Fund, Images is set to premiere in 2025–2026, continuing its evolution through residencies, performances, and collaborative research.