MAPS Anew is a private Facebook page created by Boulder choreographer Julie Rothschild. With the simple invitation:

a choreography exchange space

a platform for making and sharing

words

videos

photos

sound

participants agree that the work they share is available to the group – to try on, mess up, teach, reconfigure, enjoy

this is a generous space, a respectful space

 as the group gets rolling, more will be uncovered about its nature.

 

I found myself amidst an online community of 21 dancer/choreographer members, about 5 of whom are active on the site at any given time.

Members post videos of short solos. Mostly improvisations. Sometimes edited. Sometimes raw. We comment and reflect on what we see. We have flurries of themed responses to material created such as, “Dancing Book Club” and “Private Dances in Public Spaces”

As I made a commitment to regular choreographic exploration with the group of MAP Anew peers I entered knowing:

• I want/ed to be longer in improvisation before composition.
• I want/ed to be in practice of making with my body on a regular (but open) commitment.
• I need/ed accountability.

I employed iMovie as a tool for editing/creating.

To improvise, to video.

To move to editing: taking out all the movement/moments that were, “meh”

To be witnessed, to witness and to dig into how we were talking about the work we were seeing. Supporting each other in their individual pursuits of inquiry.