PHOTO GALLERY
PHOTO GALLERY
PHOTO GALLERY
MARY SIGWARD
PROGRAM NOTES:
ALTERNATIVE FUTURE
“I do not know where to find in any literature, whether ancient or modern, any adequate account of that Nature with which I am acquainted.”
-Henry David Thoreau
“Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.”
- Robin Wall Kimmerer
When I first set out on developing this work, I quickly realized the impossibility of condensing Nature into 60 minutes of dance. It was a task I was bound to fail, yet I commenced nevertheless. I opted to draw upon my studies of biology and ecology and extrapolate scientific ideas into abstract movement, resulting in a collection of moments that reflect on adaptation, diversity, resiliency, and collective intelligence. My intention is not to berate society on the harms we inflict upon Nature, but rather provide a moment to reflect on the grace and selflessness of Nature.
MS+A acknowledges that this performance takes place on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People, past and present. MS+A honors with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.
This work would not be possible without the help of my community. A big thank you to the dancers and collaborators on this project. Nathan, Ivana, Olivia, DéShawn, Kaitlyn, Emily, Lady Zade, and Sara have poured their brilliancy into this work. Thank you to our volunteers for their time and help: marco, Rodrick, Staphany, Nia-Amina, and my parents Lise and Kevin. Thank you to Spectrum Dance Theater for the use of their studio space. Thank you to 4Culture and the generous donors who supported this project: the Sigward Family Foundation, Mary and Frank Chaiken, and Anonymous. And thank you to my love, Ben, for all of your support.
-Mary
Founder/Director MS+A
COLLABORATORS/ARTISTS
photo: Jencer Sinclair
NATHAN COOK began his ballet training at Washington Contemporary Ballet in Tacoma, WA, and received further training from Spectrum Dance Theater and Pacific Northwest Ballet. As a professional dancer, Mr. Cook has had the privilege of touring both domestically and internationally to places such as Germany, France, India, South Korea, and more. He has worked with esteemed choreographers such as Adam Miller, Julie Tobiason, Jennifer Porter, Sayoko Knode, Jessie Jeanne Stinnett, and Cyrus Khambatta. From 2015-2018, Mr. Cook served as the Director of Washington Contemporary Ballet. He currently dances with Khambatta Dance Company, where he also serves as Operations Manager for both the company and the Seattle International Dance Festival, and is the School Director at Evergreen City Ballet. This is his second collaboration with MS+A.
IVANA LIN began her dance training at the age of six at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Later, she received a BA in Dance and BS in Physiology from the University of Washington. Ivana went on to work and perform with the UW Chamber Dance Company, Bandaloop, N.E.W., The Gray, Khambatta Dance Company, Kyrin Grey, and Eva Stone. She received a Seattle Dance Crush award for artistry and performance in 2019. In 2023 Ivana became a mother to Emet and is excited to be performing for the first time with MS+A.
photo: Stefano Altamura
photo: Peter Hinsdale
OLIVIA LINK began her training at the Boston Arts Academy High School for the Visual and Performing Arts. There she found her passion for dance, continuing the pursuit at George Mason University’s School of Dance. After performing in Boston professionally for five years for Urbanity Dance and a number of freelance projects, Olivia currently is a member of Seattle's Khambatta Dance Company. This is her first work with MS+A.
DÉSHAWN MORTON began dancing at the age of 16 at Tacoma’s School of The Arts, where he delved into the world of modern dance. He attained a BFA in dance from the University of Arizona, where he specialized in Ballet, Modern, and Jazz disciplines. He teaches at Tacoma’s School of The Arts, holds leadership positions at Ailey Camp and Seattle Theatre Group, and recently opened his own studio Mo' Motion Dance Academy. DéShawn's performance resume includes dancing notable works by choreographers such as Kabby Mitchell III, Donald Byrd, Tammy Dyke-Compton and Cyrus Khambatta. This is his second collaboration with MS+A.
photo courtesy of DéShawn Morton
photo: Jean-Paul Builes
KAITLYN NGUYEN hails from the Los Angeles area and has lived and danced in SoCal, NYC, and Seattle. She has a BFA in Dance Performance and a minor in Business Management from the University of CA, Irvine, where she danced under the late Donald McKayle. After dancing with Nimbus Dance Works, she became a proud mom to Lucile Noir. Since moving to Seattle, she has danced with Spectrum Dance Theater and Seattle Opera, tours internationally with Khambatta Dance Company, and has collaborated on several projects with MS+A.
photo: Marcia Davis
MARY SIGWARD is a Seattle-based freelance artist, kinesthetic thinker, and movement maker that uses dance to explore and disassemble the human experience. Hailing from Cincinnati, she graduated with a B.A. in Dance and minor in Biology from the University of South Carolina. She performed with Spectrum Dance Theater under the direction of Donald Byrd for four seasons before leaving to freelance in the Seattle area. In 2022 she formed MS+A, a creative hub for her interdisciplinary choreographic projects. Her work has been performed at 12 Minutes Max, Seattle International Dance Festival, and the ARTSinTank Dance Festival in Seoul.
EMILY WALTER is a versatile dancer specializing in modern and contemporary dance. She was born in Olympia, WA, where she trained with Ballet Northwest and Johansen Olympia Dance Center. She received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance from Point Park University where she performed works by Yin Yue, Kyle Abraham, Pearlann Porter and Martha Graham. Emily is starting her second season with international touring company, Khambatta Dance Company. Off the stage you can find Emily teaching, creating, and adventuring. This is her second collaboration with MS+A.
photo: Trisha French
photo courtesy of Lady Zade
LADY ZADE is a graduate of Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, where she performed in the Titan Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Jason Bonham. After graduating, Lady decided to pursue a career as a cellist in Seattle, Washington, where she studied under her wonderfully impactful teacher and the Principal Northwest Sinfonietta, cellist Mara Finkelstein. In 2018, Lady auditioned and was accepted to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, where she continued her studies with Viviane Spanoghe, and performed as an orchestral and chamber musician in Belgium, France, Germany and Bulgaria. After graduating from the program, Lady returned to Seattle to continue giving private lessons and performing in the city. She is now a part of Kaley Lane Eaton’s Ineffable String Band, and enjoys a freelance career as a recording artist, wedding performer, and avant-garde musician. This is her first collaboration with MS+A.
SARA TORRES is a Lighting Designer, Technical Director, and Stage manager based in Seattle, WA. She graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in 2008 with a degree in Performance Production. Her body of work includes serving as Touring Technical Director and Stage Manager for Solo Magic (2019), Production Manager, Lighting Designer, and Stage Manager for Spectrum Dance Theater (2015-2019), and Technical Director, Stage Manager, and Lighting Designer for the Seattle Inter|national Dance Festival (2007-2017). In addition to her work in dance, she exercises her talents designing lights for Theatre, Circus, and Events. Select examples of her work can be found at penumbralux.com. This is her second collaboration with MS+A.
This project was supported, in part, by a grant from 4Culture.
Every donation helps. By making a monetary donation, you are directly supporting fair wages for artistic collaborators, studio and theater rentals, music rights, set and costuming fees, future choreographic research, and future community gatherings that showcase the brilliance of art makers.
Mary Sigward + Artists is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike.
Shunpike is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency that empowers artists through equitable access to vital expertise, opportunities, and business services.