In an open setting, you drop in weekly to create movement compositions in proximity to others.

Warm up the body and the senses, then gain momentum and edit with focus.

At Performa, artists work self-directed within a dual structure: solo & ensemble composition.

The approach is rigorous yet thoughtful with integration time built in. Bring water and a notebook.

Performa is like a vitamin. You enter a space rich with visceral and visual information. Get inspiration, make connections, and take creative risks that you will bring back to your studio.

Creation periods are iterative to support mental and physical stamina as you practice carrying an idea forward.

Try out the process here and then adapt it to suit your own projects.

You invest in the complicated task of making live performance. Composing movement out in the open, you will draw upon your natural resources. Embodied ideas exchange across the space that cultivate new perceptions about what your dancing can be.

Performa investigates foundational questions about liveness, where information emanates from in a dance, and how structure becomes a potent source for meaning-making in performance work. It’s a thought provoking atmosphere that counterbalances the isolation often faced when working alone. The crowd brings energy and together sustain a heated, vigorous type of inquiry.

Tactical guidance and a judgement-free environment are provided along the journey towards exuberant new performance creations.

If you have questions, reach out! Let’s connect on how to support your process or educational community.

Credits: All photos by Jano Cohen, except “to feed your process” and videos. Visit: Jano Cohen Photography. Logo: Tima Christina.

Elevator pitch

Performa is a laboratory where independent artists create new performance and choreography among peers. It’s like a vitamin for your artistic process — get a fresh approach and support.

Who is Performa for?

Performa is designed for dance and body-based artists, focusing on choreographic thinking and movement composition. The setting is professional and the pace is brisk (but your movement is at your pace). Occasional brushes of touch may happen and ideas are not kept precious. You make, make, make, and move on. You do not need to have a particular kind of movement background or training to participate fully.

How to arrive

Allow 10-15 minutes extra to arrive early before class to use restrooms, settle, and chill. Class starts promptly. Bring water and a notebook.

Masks

Anyone who prefers to mask as an added layer of protection is encouraged. It’s okay to change your mind either way during a session.

An invitation

Some Performa sessions conclude with an invitation for participants to present their emerging new work in a celebratory salon showing. It’s free, conversational, and you are encouraged to invite peers, family, and neighbors.

Inclusion

Participants and individuals inside of and adjacent to the workshop are trusted to treat one another with kindness and humility. Please respect one's pronouns, creative choices, and shifting needs.

A caring space

The work of choreographing and developing ideas through movement is a personal journey that can sometimes bring vulnerable emotions to the surface. Sessions begin with a brief circle introduction as an opportunity for each participant to name a personal need or an offering. The communication structure for group response borrows from Beyond Us & Them based in Los Angeles, a council style of presence and belonging.

Land acknowledgment

Performa takes place on ancestral and unceded lands where we are part of a larger community. In Philadelphia, that place is called Lenapehoking, or lands of Lenni-Lenape people. In the LA area, the land belongs to the Tongva, Serrano, Chumash, and Fernandeño Band of Mission Indians, among many. We start by naming the original stewards and their presence today.