Dishman + Co. Choreography
Dishman + Co. Choreography

co+life

 
 

Co+Life is a workshop and performance experience for professional collaborative dancers addressing the urgent need for new cultures of care within the dance industry’s artistic and professional practices.

 
 
 
 
 

Co+Life seeks to reenvision what a dance company can be in a punishing sector that has grossly underpaid and overworked these brilliant humans who help us know more deeply the power of our humanity.

With so many conversations around what true care looks like, Co+Life aims to nurture professional dancers who have struggled uniquely with the physical distancing and evaporation of work through this pandemic season. They continue to persevere with so much beauty and courage during so much hurt...in a sector that historically does so little to support them.

Each Co+Life draws together 20 dance artists to engage Dishman + Co.’s deep listening creative process, building a short collaborative dance work under a shelter of radical care. The workshop culminates in performances and professional video capture that celebrates these brilliant individuals as they bravely embody our shared humanity. 


The workshop invites introspection, individually and collectively, in an effort to activate healing and build creative community in a time of unrest and disconnection. The performance enacts these built connections, aiming to stir audiences toward change and draw attention to current dancemaking systems in need of reform.

 
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Each Co+Life experience is committed to:

  • living wage pay for dance artists

  • professional video/photo assets for participants’ portfolios

  • ongoing dialogue for dance artists to redefine what “collective care” and “support” mean to them in an evolving landscape

  • prioritization of needs and boundaries around artists’ use of time, body, and collaborative voice

  • embodied listening practices at every level that work to cultivate: 

     ...personal healing for participants through creative community

     ...communal dancemaking processes rooted in accountable respect and care

     ...transformative performance experiences that engage audiences in our care-based practices of embodied listening and stir equitable change in current dancemaking systems in need of reform.

We aim for Co+Life to become a repeating, sustaining program serving many professional dance artists in NYC and across the US, and exploring/pushing new models of care in the dance sector. We're working to impact a large part of our shared community in ways we hope will continue to support dancers well beyond this workshop experience.

We gratefully acknowledge our generous individual donors for their crucial support for Co+Life. Thank you!

CLICK BELOW to join this work.

 

Co+Life Artist Reflections

 

“Thank you for your words - you truly made me feel seen and held. A very different tone and approach from so many others who have made me feel like just another number/body in a long string of emails or filled room.”

“Even though the intention of Co+Life is about radical care and healing, I was not sure if that would be the experience — thank you for ensuring that it was and still is through the continued outputs of the piece. I cannot wait to add the footage to my reel.”

 
 

“I’m feeling fulfilled and curious. Ready to deepen and further explore. As we walk through the structure I am reminded of the sensation of being seen, witnessed by an audience and making choices in the moment, listening to other bodies in the space. Moving, moving, making, staying curious and alert.”

 
 
 
 

“I cannot properly express my gratitude for being included in this workshop and performance. It has reminded me of my home, my power and the possibilities. I feel like it was like putting jumper cables on my dying battery. I feel recharged, refocused, joyful, and deeply humbled as I leave this evening.”

 

“I feel that we’ve managed to build a sense of community and trust within such a short window of time. Tonight felt so sincere from everyone. I felt everyone had a genuine desire to be an active participant in fostering an environment of compassion and true authenticity. Loved it!”

“This has been such a fulfilling couple of hours. It was so joyful to be placed in groups with other dancers and to be given specific tasks/prompts to work from. The space instantly felt safe and comfortable. I appreciate having the option to move as big or small as I wanted/needed moment to moment. I felt supported and in control of my body and boundaries.”

 
 
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