“Staying with the Pause” consists of four site-specific dances I designed and performed to capture the uncertainty, flexibility and stress that arise in this time of pandemic. The piece exemplifies that it’s okay not to be okay right now. Specifically, we may feel compelled to “fill up” the time that has opened up due to social distancing by being productive academically or taking up a self-improvement regimen. We have departed from “normal” and it’s okay to let go of “normal” expectations. We may be feeling higher highs and lower lows and require a different set of coping skills.

 

The four repetitive movements represent wearing a mask, touching elbows, washing hands and the Black Lives Matter movement -- all prominent symbols of this time. Throughout both dances, repetitive movements showcase the monotony of the days during this time with an unknown end date. This dance utilizes kinesthetic empathy, the idea that we have the ability to experience empathy merely by observing the movement of another person, thus taking the performer and viewer-participant “into the pause” together.

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                                                  - Hannah Levy

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