a new performance work in development directed by Melissa Riker in collaboration with Rebecca Kanch (Costumes) Celeste Cooning (Visual Art) and danced to improvisational “music in the moment” as co-created with Johnny Butler and musicians in NYC and Stephanie Richards and Kate Olsen in Seattle.

This piece is developed and created via the artists’ research, through collaboration, conversation and the current work of Geologist Dr. Martha Cary (Missy) Eppes and her colleagues Dr. Stephen Laubach and Dr. Rob Lander

From the Director
This is our second work with geologist Dr. Missy Eppes and her colleagues. The first took two years to create and is called “Capacity, or: the Work of Crackling”. After years of thinking about how both humans and the Earth crack, I found myself drawn to the ways that we, and the Earth, heal those cracks.

Three years ago, I was an Artist in Residence taking notes in the Progressive Failure of Brittle Rocks conference. Dr. Stephen Laubach was presenting on what he dubbed “bridge cement”. The internal element of a rock that begins to build a “bridge” across the divide of a crack, which is also the only time-traceable element to offer aging of a crack.

In our process conversations we’ve talked about our own “bridge minerals” internally and externally: reaching across divides, offering care, and the myriad of ways that we let others know we are present, and listening.

What do you do when someone needs care?

How do you bridge the divide of distance with those you love?

How do we heal ourselves when we break?

What is our “bridge mineral”? The elemental part of us that we turn to to make things better.

To Dr. Missy Eppes, her colleagues Dr. Rob Lander and Dr. Stephen Laubach: thank you for your attention to the tiniest of cracks and measurements, spurring large-scale dances of these ideas.

"Given sufficient time – and in geology we have plenty of that – cracks will form and propagate under stresses that are much lower (even less than 10%) of the rock’s critical strength.”
~Dr. Eppes

ABOUT THE COLLABORATIONS

Kinesis Project and Opera on Tap have been partnering to drive this work forward. The hour long piece is currently performed with 4-6 dancers and 6-10 live musicians with original, commissioned pieces from AntiSocial Music composers Diana Woolner, David Friend, Brian McCorkle and Eyal Moaz.

Melissa Riker and Dr. Eppes are continuing their conversations and collaboration and Riker has been the artist in residence for the Penrose 2022 Conference: Failure of Brittle Rocks, an international convening of geologists, geomorphists and mechanical engineers. This convening was the second of it’s kind and organized by Dr. Eppes, Dr. Matt Brain and Alex Reinhart.

FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for BRIDGE MATTER/THE REACH - development and performance of this work has been made possible with support by The Map Fund, Summer on the Hudson/Riverside Park Conservancy, John C. Robinson, Melissa Graule and Amerigo Falciani, The Bowick Family Fund, Emily and Tony Seaver, public funds through New York State Council on the Arts, Creative Engagement, a regrant program administered by LMCC funded by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) with NY City Council and Howard Gilman Foundation, individual donors and Patreon Patrons of Kinesis Project dance theatre. Celeste Cooning’s work is supported in part by 4Culture of Seattle.

Video (coming soon)

Venues and Development (2024-2025)

7 Open Rehearsals via “Revealing Dances: The Winter Sessions”

Prelude Festival (2024)

Riverside Park/Summer on the Hudson, NYC (2024)

Friends of Inwood Hill Park, NYC (2025)

Harbor Steps, Seattle, WA (2025)

Overlook Walk, Seattle Waterfront Park, Seattle WA (2025)

Riverside Park, Summer on the Hudson (2025)

Help this timely work continue

Credits

Choreographer/Director Melissa Riker, in constant collaboration with the dancers

Dancers NYC Stephanie Shin, Gioia Von Staden, Ryan Smith, Aryanna Allen, Yang Sun with Jorgie Ingram

Dancers Seattle Hendri Walujo, Kimberly Holloway, Margaret Behm, Kara Beadle, Prasti Purdum

Improvisational Trio in NYC Johnny Butler, Matt Nelson, Nick Lyons

Improvisational Trios in Seattle Steph Richards, Kate Olson, Neil Welch, Natalie Twigg, Coen Rios, Kevin Nortness, Jameson Brantcher

Spoken text The Company

“Twinning” choreography Sabrina Canas and Abbie Linnemeyer

Rebecca Kanach Costumes

Celeste Cooning Integrated Visual Art Design

Dr. Martha (Missy) Eppes Collaborating Geologist

Dr. Stephen Laubach Geologist

Dr. Rob Lander Geologist

Nicolette Amico Kinesis Project Company Manager

Sue Giffard Costume Assistance

Kinesis Project Stage Managers Fox Whitney (SEA), Cate Mahoney with Nicolette Amico (NYC)

The movement of this work has been created over time with the creative effort of current Kinesis NY members Jorgie Ingram, Stephanie Shin, Gioia Von Staden, Ryan Smith, Aryanna Allen, Yang Sun and Seattle company members Hendri Walujo, Kimberly Holloway, Margaret Behm, Prasti Purdum, Kara Beadle, and the research and work of past Kinesis Project artists Hilary Brown-Istrefi, Sabrina Canas, Abigail Linnemeyer, Madeline Morser and Yolette Yellow-Duke.