Unheard

When did you start dancing? 
I started creative movement at age 3, but formal training began at age 8.

As a choreographer and as a dancer, who are your influences?  Whose work do you really like?
I was definitely influenced by Kurt Jooss and his ballet, “The Green Table” for this piece. The caricatures he created through a satirical movement style were effective in communicating political commentary, so I expanded on that idea for “Unheard”. I am also a fan of/inspired by countless choreographers, including Jessica Lange, Justin Peck, Crystal Pite, Jerome Robbins, Antony Tudor, and Ma Cong.

What influences your own inspiration or movement style?
I like unexpected, quirky movement. I find it engaging both a dancer and an audience member. That means that I draw inspiration from all sorts of sources for my movement style. I can get choreographic ideas from observing my dogs, from the way a body of water moves, from how two strangers interact at a gas station…the possibilities are endless! I also feel that the music/dance relationship is essential, so I draw heavily from accents within the score along with the mood of the melody.

How does your work connect to the larger world?
I hope “Unheard” will remind people of how much further we have to go to treat the sexes (all permeations of gender identification included) as equals. Too often people think that because gender equality has been established legally that it is also practiced socially. It is my goal that this piece encourages audience members to listen carefully to how they hear and value the voices around them.

This is Kate Webb’s third time choreographing for the company.