Experiencing Interruptions?

AVOID

AVOID was conceived as a visceral/visual response to avoiding each other to be safe from COVID-19. By our actions, we create a void, causing grief, fear, anxiety, and hope. We investigated improvisation during both filming and production. Film sites were determined by safety and accessibility factors. Each dancer performed 10 task-based movement scores. In post-production, we blended eight movement performances into one, conveying the narrative that we are all connected in our human responses to the pandemic. The musician/composer wove a tapestry of environmental sounds and musical instruments into a score placed over the pre-edited dances.

  • Martheya Nygaard
    Director
    Director/Producer
  • Lori Sundeen Soderbergh
    Director
    Director/Producer
  • Martheya Nygaard
    Production
    Editor/Videographer
  • Reyna Mondragon
    Production
    Videographer
  • Pepe Valdez
    Production
    Composer/Musican
  • Avery-Jai Andrews
    Cast
    Dancer
  • Kimberly Fulmer
    Cast
    Dancer
  • Danielle Georgiou
    Cast
    Dancer
  • Lauren Kravitz
    Cast
    Dancer
  • Sarah Matzke
    Cast
    Dancer
  • Reyna Mondragon
    Cast
    Dancer
  • Martheya Nygaard
    Cast
    Dancer
  • Lori Sundeen Soderbergh
    Cast
    Dancer
  • Pepe Valdez
    Cast
    Musician
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 29 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 15, 2020
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Martheya Nygaard, Lori Sundeen Soderbergh

Lori Sundeen Soderbergh is the founder and director of Over the Bridge Arts in Oak Cliff, Dallas, a nonprofit supporting new works and new artists of all genres. In 2018, she founded Burning Woman as an inclusive and diverse creative platform for works reflecting social justice issues. She has danced and choreographed professionally since 1986 and taught dance for 15 years in Stockholm, Sweden. In DFW, her work has been shown at the DMA, Bath House Cultural Center, First Presbyterian Church, Temple Emanu-El, Hip Pocket Theater, Arts Fifth Avenue, Scott Theatre, Sanders Theatre, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Lori received her B.F.A in Modern Dance from TCU and her M.A. in Dance History from the Laban Centre in London.

Martheya Nygaard @martheya_nygaard is a dance artist, educator, and content creator cultivating “distortion” as an aesthetic philosophy, challenging and expanding notions of contemporary dance, by creating dance resources and content for both on and offline. She received her BFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University and MFA in Dance from Texas Woman's University (TWU). Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at venues including World Dance Alliance Global Summit, The Prague Quadrennial, and The Women in Dance Leadership Conference. Martheya is the Managing Director of kNOwBOX dance @knowboxdance and creator with mixtamotus @mixtamotus a human-digital interface art exploration.

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