Untitled Aubrey Beardsley Dance Suite (For Film) or How to Make Art at the End of the World

World Premiere: April 20, 2021

Commissioned By: Whim W'him Contemporary Seattle Contemporary Dance 

Performance: Michael Arellano, Liane Aung, Jane Cracovaner, Ashley Green, Jim Kent, Andrew Mcshea, Karl Watson

Music: Barret Anspach/Joseph Hernandez 

Dramaturgy/Styling: Dayna Offenbacher 

UNTITLED AUBREY BEARDSLEY DANCE SUITE [FOR FILM], OR, HOW TO MAKE ART AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Unable to dance or work with the Dresden Semperoper Ballett after the pandemic struck and questioning the very meaning and purpose of art, dancer/choreographer Joseph Hernandez’s turned his thoughts in new directions. UABDS [for Film] was conceived, from the beginning, as a different kind of dance piece. The concept was in constant flux, seeing as how it was first imagined as a 25-minute stage spectacle in the late part of 2019.  The journey from concept to film changed the way that we thought about creation entirely.  We shifted from the idea that what we were making was going to be somehow finished at a certain point.  The piece began to spread out into different formats.  The film, ostensibly seen as a replacement for a live performance, became, instead of a replacement, a record of the anxieties and liberties associated with making art in 2021.  UABDS turned into something definable and finite, more akin to a kind of practice. 
This piece is a celebration of the talents and histories of this specific group of artists, as well as the many people that have come together to make work like this possible.  Visit www.untitledaubreybeardsley.com for more information about our process. “