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artist statement

artist statement

 

As a dance artist, writer, and curator, I am interested in the relationship between body and place, and the layers of historical and cultural context that surround and shape it. I create conceptual dance projects that include live performances and filmed pieces for site-specific locations, galleries, and theatrical spaces. My dances contain abstract elements combined with physicality that range from energetic to reflective. Channeling life, death, desire, labor, desolation, and interdependence—how these concepts manifest in our bodies and the surrounding environment in solo and group choreography—my work explores the tensions between space, place, and the self.

My dance practice functions as a way to reimagine Staten Island through the immediacy and intimacy of the body. This includes the act of wandering and improvised movement as a meditative exercise to connect fragments of ourselves within a place. This approach grows out of my belief in the ephemeral and sensuous potential of the landscape. I use improvisation to move through public sites, often in states of decay or dereliction, to weave together and disrupt layers of cultural accumulation.

 

Sea Wall/Fox Beach [excerpt] by Melissa West, filmed by Erik Danielsen.

Night Song (excerpt)
Choreography: Melissa West in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Giulia Brady, Giovani Cadet, Emma Casertano, Gavin Conner, Sydney Cox, Amanda Marko, and Summer Turczynski.
Music: Marisa Tornello
Lighting: Micah Hail
Costumes: Ryan Ginter
Premiere: Wagner College, Staten Island, NY. October 2024.


homepage photography credits: Anjola Toro, Lance Reha, Monica Valenzuela, Rosita Roldan, Erik Danielsen