By Polina Smith
Embodiment Project is a San Francisco-based street dance theater company that “intersects hip hop, documentary theater, live song and choreo-poetry to illuminate narratives silenced by inequities and inspire critical conversations and healing.” But what happens when a thriving performing arts season suddenly comes to a halt? How do you pivot to using video conferencing and social media to communicate what is at your dance company’s very core? It has been challenging, make no mistake, but like with their art, Embodiment Project is handling it with resilience, creativity and grit. I caught up with dance company members Amber Julian and George “WuKong” Cheng to get their thoughts on the current situation for artists and what role art can play during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Embodiment Project company members Dre Devis, Amber Julian, Nicole Klaymoon, Keisha Turner, Sammay Dizon, courtesy of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Polina: What was Embodiment Project (EP) up to before the virus hit?
George: I think it was literally the night before the Bay Area called shelter-in-place, Amber, myself and Nicole were all together and EP was supposed to go to Akron, Ohio, for a one-week residency. We were in the lab working on our Yerba Buena Center for the Arts premiere of X RATED PLANET. We were pretty busy gearing up for that and in a really heavy rehearsal flow.
Amber, myself, and Poko teach at ODC in San Francisco. We work with the youth hip hop company, and we were also gearing up for their end of the year performances. So, we definitely had a good amount of things going on. Then overnight everything just changed.
Polina: I am curious what’s happening with the new show. Do you have a date rescheduled, are you waiting to see when it all ends or how it plays out?
Amber: It’s been postponed, which is good that it’s not completely cancelled. I think it’s just a matter of scheduling and seeing if everyone else is available and really how long this shelter is going to be happening. It’s supposed to be happening hopefully at some point either late summer or fall probably.
Polina: How else are you adjusting and adapting to this time?
Amber: It is very jarring for artists who’s crafts are so built on and around community. We are dancing at home and stay physically active however and whenever possible.
Embodiment Project company members Amber Julian and Keisha Turner. Photo by Alexa Treviño, courtesy of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Polina: Are you rehearsing for the new show? What does an EP rehearsal over Zoom look like?
George: We are meeting once a week, and we see it really as a time to figure out what we can continue doing, what we can continue creating, and how we can apply our creativity to what’s going on right now and adapt in those ways. It could be rehearsing lines or just coming up with what our youth program will look like moving forward.
It’s a lot of behind-the-scenes type of work compared to what we normally do - being on the stage and things like that. Some folks in the company are still teaching once a week via online classes.
Polina: Is developing the youth portion of EP something you are putting more attention into now because you have this extra time, or was that always in the works at this level?
Amber: We are trying to see what’s possible with it now that it’s online, but outside of that there have been talks about how we can expand that program. I do anticipate that once things lift, it will probably be expanded in some ways.
Polina: I am curious if you could talk about the biggest challenges - as individual artists and as a company - that you are facing at this time?
Amber: The community aspect is very challenging. I think in some ways I have gotten closer to some community folks, conversing more, reaching out more, and connecting in that way. As far as going to events or battle and taking classes, it’s come to a screeching halt.
Having that structure of meeting 3 days a week and rehearsing 3 days a week. To not have that structure - there are pluses and minuses to that. It allows our bodies to rest a little bit more. It allows us to be creative and find our own ways of navigating structure and being consistent with movement as that is our passion.
George: I think some of the more obvious challenges are the income. Amber has already taught an online class with our youth company. Some other folks in the company have also done work online. Dance is a communally driven spirit - when you are with people face-to-face it really is a whole other type of experience.
Polina: What is the fundraising campaign you are doing?
Amber: We were getting paid for rehearsals, so that is a big financial hit. The youth program got cut significantly, so a lot of the things we anticipated financially, energetically, and emotionally have all slowed down or stopped.
Our campaign is to help us financially in those ways. We also work with collaborators who are going to be in the show. We had our Ohio Tech residency that got cancelled, which would have been a significant financial help.
Polina: What do you think the role of art and the artist is in this time?
George: It’s interesting to see how art is really a reflection of the times, and really to remind people what’s going on. It’s helping us to connect, to be human and feel our emotions - especially at a time like this when there can be so many mixed emotions.
It can really help us to find our equilibrium within ourselves - that grounded place. It helps us really be able to acknowledge what might be going on outside or what is alive inside of us, and to be able to keep moving forward.
The really important thing is to help us maintain our humanity at this time when there is so much going on. At the same time I also think that art can really serve as our meaning to be that stand of resilience and celebration.
We need to be able to tap into that creative spirit and let that energize ourselves and be filled with joy at times - even though society as a whole is really going through it right now. And just remembering to share that joy as well through art.
Amber: I think about my mom, because she always told me it’s so important to have a passion. I really feel that is so essential right now - to have something to look forward to that gives you life and sparks that fire in you. It helps to have art as an outlet and to look forward to doing something that makes you feel good. To have that outlet is like medicine.
Embodiment Project Company Member George "WuKong" Cheng, photo by Alexa Treviño. Courtesy of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Polina: During this time your role is to make a way out of no way. Art has such potential. What do you think, is the virus here to teach us something? What can we learn from it? Do you hold a spiritual perspective on this time?
George: It’s definitely the physical, the spiritual, the mental, and the emotional. Those are all connected. For those of us that have time and space to even be able to think about these things, because there are a lot of people who don’t have that space and that opportunity right now, this is really a good time to think about what is important and what’s not working in our system.
Thinking about things like that and the planet and nature. We are seeing all these animals come back, pollution is clearing, and you can see stars in the sky. I think that is a very total and obvious result of everything being put on pause. I definitely think that it is a really good opportunity for us to reflect on what's working and what’s not. How do we want to move forward coming out of all of this?
Amber: Just having this extra spaciousness in time has really allowed more space to go introspective a little bit more. It’s like all the things are coming up because there is so much time, and my mind has so much more space that I can actually dive deeper into things. That’s definitely a thing.
Also I’m really counting my blessings. We’re just very blessed to have a roof over our heads, food, and music in our lives and to have able bodies to still dance. I’m holding a lot of compassion for those who may not have that access at this moment.
I actually have a lot of relatives and friends that are working in the medical industry, and they are on different lines. I am holding a lot of love and tenderness for them and wanting to take back responsibility personally to really do the sheltering and stay home. I want to be responsible in those ways, and to really hold those that are a little more at risk in our hearts and minds.
Polina: What gives you hope during this time?
George: Acknowledging that it’s such a difficult situation for a lot of people right now, and at the same time this type of situation can really bring out the best and the worst of people, so to speak. In terms of the acts of kindness and the way people are supporting one another, I think it is a touching thing to see.
Mentioning looking to those elders and spiritual figures and communities all around, and just listening to what they have to say. And art - art gives me hope. My community. One thing is definitely seeing social media and the type of discussions happening and the amount of people that are acknowledging that some things are really not working anymore. It just feels like there is so much potential and momentum around people wanting something different. I think that’s one of the big things for me personally.
Amber: I do feel closer to a lot of folks at the same time. I am reconnecting with friends I haven’t spoken to so often and just making it a point to reach out to people more and check in with people. That in itself is a reminder that we are all in it together and that we are all around the globe in this together.
Also, nature. Seeing all these birds that I haven’t seen before. It’s so beautiful. The flowers are blooming. Those things make me feel really hopeful. Life is happening and these beautiful things are going to bloom from this.
Polina: As a last question, I am wondering what message you would give to artists, especially to young artists, right now.
Amber: My message is just to remind them that we are all in this together, we are all learning. I don’t want to say, “Keep creating, keep dancing.” Some people might not be in that space, but I will say that art is so very healing. I know that it has saved my life many times. If there is any tiny bit of hope towards that, I’d say to really take that seed, to nurture it, and to see it grow.
Whatever art can do for you - if you are feeling that spark, follow that spark. It doesn’t have to look like anybody else’s ways of doing it, but to know that it is always there, it’s always accessible in any way.
George: Even if you are having challenges, really try and push through and keep creating from that really raw place within yourself. Whether you want to express that joy and celebration for what you are grateful for, or whether you want to express that grief and that sadness and that anger and despair. Either way, as long as you are creating from that authentic place inside and to be able to share that and be felt. I think that’s the healing process for the individual and for the collective. I think that’s what we really need right now to get us through this time.
Polina: Thank you both so much. May beautiful seeds be planted during this time, even if we don’t know what their fruits are.
Help the Embodiment Project Artists thrive during this time, support their relief fund at http://tinyurl.com/epartistrelief
Embodiment Project is a San Francisco-based street dance theater company that intersects hip hop, documentary theater, live song and choreo-poetry to illuminate narratives silenced by inequities and inspire critical conversations and healing.
Help support Embodiment Project artists during this time: http://tinyurl.com/epartistrelief
Polina Smith is the Executive Director of Crescent Moon Theater Productions creating original, thought provoking new work that spans across the disciplines of theater, dance, music and circus. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Inquiry from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Smith is an art event producer for Bioneers and Seismic Sisters.