Community and Creative Hub @ DX: UpRooted Dance
We’re restarting a series on our blog that will highlight some of the remarkable artists, educators, entrepreneurs, and community members who move and make in our studios. These individuals and groups help make the Community and Creative Hub @ DX the vibrant, multi-disciplinary, creative space that it is—even when social distancing measures are still in place to keep our communities safe.
This week, meet UpRooted Dance, led by Artistic Director Keira Hart-Mendoza. Read on to hear the Community and Creative Hub @ DX is making it possible for Keira and the dancers of UpRooted to continue moving and making during the pandemic.
How long have you been engaged in the Dance Exchange community?
I have had a long standing relationship with Dance Exchange for almost ten years. My company, UpRooted Dance, has rehearsed at Dance Exchange off and on over the course of the past decade. At times, we've been a resident arts partner and supported by DX. I have also facilitated Friday Classes at Dance Exchange many times. After I gave birth to my son Sebastian in 2013, I had the unique opportunity to work in a part-time administrative role with Dance Exchange and I was able to bring my son into work. It was a warm and welcoming environment with two other working parents at the same time, and we formed quite a nice community. Dance Exchange continues to be my favorite studio to rehearse in, in all of the DMV. I love the spaciousness of Studio 1 and the community that often times can be found there as well.
What surprising opportunities or challenges have you encountered while adapting your class/program/creative process in response to COVID-related social distancing?
There have been many challenges for sure during this time, and also many opportunities for creative problem solving. In the fall of 2020, there was an eagerness on my part to get back to my craft of dance making. I was happy and delighted to know that DX was open for small, safe, socially distant opportunities to gather in the rehearsal studios. When I invited some of my core company members back to the studio, they excitedly jumped at the chance to get back to moving in a space larger than a bedroom or living room.
Even though we still don't have a clear understanding of where we're headed or what opportunities there might be for us to present dance on the horizon, I felt it was important to still practice both the art of making dances, and using our bodies to prevent atrophy. The dance studio is in many ways a choreographer's canvas, and I wanted to return to my creative place to explore new ideas. I also felt very lonely and far removed from the dance community after not having seen so many of my peers for months on end. It has been good to gather (safely) in our small group to also collectively try to process all that has been going on the past year.
This past summer, I had a similar desire to bring members of the DC dance community together and I hosted and produced a series of three front yard dance and drumming performances at my home in Bethesda, MD. Mark H Rooney was there; he and I met many years ago at Dance Exchange and have collaborated and been friends ever since. Matthew Cumbie, another DX alum, was a part of the front yard performance series along with six other performers. We used my lawn and a stage space, invited neighbors to bring their own lawn chairs, and join us for some smoking hot (literally, in late July and August) series of performances. Many members of my community were so thankful to have the opportunity to see live dance and came multiple times to see the shows.
Since I have a strong desire to "keep the performing arts alive" during this time, I am committed to rehearsing new works, journeying into the unknown with new performers, and improvising as we go along. I am hoping all that dance training will help us land on our own two feet when this is all said and done!
How has being part of Dance Exchange’s Community and Creative Hub supported your growth as an artist, mover, or facilitator?
I feel like DX has always "been there for me," as funny as that sounds. I have used the space in many different ways over the years. The space itself and the community there has allowed me to grow in many different facets of my career.
As an artist, using the expansiveness in Studio 1 is quite freeing. It's rare to find such a large space that can accommodate both large groups of performers and audience members. As a choreographer, it's such a gift to be able to use such an immense space. I have presented workshops at DX with other members of the DX community including Mark H Taiko. I have presented Works in Progress showings at DX and welcomed community members to give feedback on my work a number of times. We've collaborated with DX members to take us through the Liz Lerman Critical Response Process.
As a teaching artist and facilitator, I have been able to bring new movement ideas or experiments to DX classes. I love meeting the wide range of movers that take class there too. As a student myself, I have been able to take classes and workshops from other professional artists here in DC and from other visiting artists.
How can our Dance Exchange community connect with you and your work right now?
Please follow us on Instagram or Facebook @uprooteddance #uprooteddance and visit our website (www.uprooteddance.com) to learn more about new opportunities, performances and or workshops. Our website stays up to date with our latest information.