(I AM THERE BUT) NEVER CLEAR

(i am there but) never clear

choreography by laura chambers

(i am there but) never clear was selected for Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s (SCD) In the Round work-in-progress showcase in May 2022. Following this, the work was expanded and presented in SCD’s 17th Season RECLAIM for their opening performance Voices - Rising Choreographers in October 2022 at the Jane B. Cook Theatre.

The work explores the idea of translucency within oneself - how we can often experience the feeling of only being understood at the surface from the outside perspective. How does the loneliness of that feeling impact the connections we attempt to make throughout our lives?

During the creative process, the dancers in both versions of this work participated in movement workshops and journal writing, where I asked them a series of questions pertaining to the subject and how they process it. I’m so endlessly grateful for the devotion and artistry each of them brought to this work.

program insert/blurb -

Translucent: permitting the passage of light so that objects beyond cannot be seen clearly. allowing light, but not detailed shapes, to pass through.

What does it mean to be translucent? Do you often feel only seen at the surface? Is it the inevitable truth that no one will truly know who you are?

This work explores the inner turmoils of being unable to feel fully seen or understood from the outside perspective, and how the loneliness of that feeling can impact the connections we attempt to make throughout our lives.

photos by Sorcha Augustine (@sorcha_augustine)