Of Those Who Live

Of Those Who Live is a full-length piece that explores what the phrase “you aren’t really living until you’re almost dead” means to the dancers on stage and the audience in the room. In order to unpack the meaning behind these words, the saying will be analyzed from a physical, aesthetic and emotional perspective. The highly performative movements presented by the six dancers on stage are musical and intricate while also maintaining a very humanistic quality. The creation of Of Those Who Live was done through an exploration of how Ernest Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory can be translated into a choreographic process. The Iceberg Theory is a minimalistic approach to writing where only surface details, such as descriptions of setting and dialogue between characters, are included while larger thematic elements are left open to interpretation. This form of writing evokes a more intense emotional response from the reader. The combination of the creative development behind the movement and the sensory experience of the dancers will parallel Hemingway’s writing style in the medium of choreography and invite the audience of Of Those Who Live to engage with the work on a more intimate level, as Hemingway was able to do with his readers.

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Estimated Run Time: 40 min

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Premiered at the Elon University Black Box Theater in 2018