FROM THE ARCHIVE ✨
What happens when the container breaks?
In this 2016 review, Anna Drozdowski reflects on Meg Foley’s Action is Primary, tracing the friction between installation and live performance, score and spontaneity, structure and rupture.
A performance that lingers “beyond the evening, beyond the website.”
This and other articles at the link in our bio
Image Description: A white and light blue square with a dark blue border on the left and bottom edges. In the lower-left corner, the logo for Thinking Dance is in black typewriter font, with a lowercase t and an uppercase D. In white and black underlined letters, the posts read From The Archive, The container and the contained May 24, 2016 by Anna Drozdowski. In the Center of the square is a small image of a dancer balanced on one foot, both hands flying up and wide. She is behind a row of chairs with people facing away from her.
#FromTheArchive #ThinkingDance #DanceWriting #DanceCriticism #PerformanceArt #ExperimentalDance #ContemporaryDance #LiveArt #PerformanceReview #Improvisation #SiteSpecificPerformance #DanceArchive #ArtCriticism #MegFoley #AnnieWilson #IceboxProjectSpace #PhiladelphiaDance #PerformanceStudies #MovementResearch #TheContainerAndTheContained #tbt
Ballet Hispánico’s Mujeres: Women in Motion gathers four choreographic voices in a vivid meditation on movement across the Latine diaspora—where tradition bends toward experimentation, and identity emerges through rhythm, memory, and collective force.
In her latest review, Caedra Scott-Flaherty reflects on a program that honors women not only as makers of dance, but as shapers of its language—revealing how each work carves its own vocabulary of resistance, celebration, and becoming.
Read Mujeres in Motion at the link in our bio
Photo: Steven Pisano - Courtesy of Ballet Hispánico New York
Image Description: A dark teal border on the left and bottom edges of a white rectangle. In the center, an image: Three dancers, two men and one woman, stand on a stage covered in bright autumn leaves. The background is black. They stand in a wide stance, holding thick black rolls over their heads. The man on the left, in gray pants and a t-shirt, looks up at the roll. The brunette woman wearing green pants and a brown tunic stares directly out. The man on the right, dressed in a red suit and white dress shirt, also looks straight forward. In the lower-left corner of the post, in dark teal and black, a lowercase t and uppercase D, the logo for Thinking Dance. Above the image are blue letters that read Mujeres in Motion and below the image are blue letters that read by Ceadra Scott-Flaherty.
#ThinkingDance #MujeresInMotion #BalletHispanico #DanceWriting #DanceCriticism #ContemporaryDance #LatineArtists #WomenInDance #PerformanceReview #NYCDance #DanceJournalism #Choreography #LivePerformance #DanceCommunity
“Through the editorial process and mentorship, I was able to deepen my engagement with my work in a meaningful way.” ✨
One of this year's first Emerging Writer Fellows reflects that the fellowship and mentorship it provided helped create a space to go deeper.
Rooted in care, curiosity, and collaboration, the Emerging Writers Fellowship supports artists in exploring how writing and movement intersect—where reflection becomes connection, and response becomes part of the work itself.
Here’s to building spaces where dance lives on through language, dialogue, and shared experience. 💬
#ThinkingDance #EmergingWriters #DanceWriting #ArtsFellowship #DanceCommunity #WritingPractice #EmbodiedKnowledge #PerformanceReflection #ContemporaryDance #WritersOfInstagram #ArtAndProcess #CreativeCommunity
thINKingDANCE is delighted to announce that Megan Mizanty is taking on the role of Assistant Director. Megan has served thINKingDANCE as a writer, editor, and Editorial Board member. Most recently, Megan was the primary force behind the first year of thINKingDANCE’s Emerging Writers Fellowship. We’re incredibly grateful for her work so far and excited to have her committed to working with thINKingDANCE into the future.
We also want to express our gratitude to Ellen Miller for her exquisite work as Assistant Director, including helming the launch of our new website!
You can read Megan’s recent writing at the link in our bio
Photo: courtesy of Megan Mizanty
Image Description: A woman with long straight brown hair sits in front of a grey back drop. She wears a long sleeve black shirt and smiles wide at the camera.
#thINKingDANCE #ArtsLeadership #DanceCommunity #NewBeginnings #AssistantDirector #CreativeLeadership #DanceWriting #ArtsWriters #EditorialTeam #EmergingWriters #ArtsFellowship #DanceIndustry #ArtsAndCulture #LeadershipAnnouncement #Gratitude #ThankYou #CreativeCommunity #WomenInArts #ArtsEditors #NonprofitArts
What if watching isn’t enough?
In “This Is Not Surveillance You Gon Have to Participate,” by Caitlin Green thINKingDANCE explores performance that refuses passive spectatorship—asking audiences to move beyond observation and into active engagement.
This piece highlights the work of jaamil olawale kosoko that blurs boundaries between performer and viewer, pushing us to consider what it really means to witness. Participation becomes more than a choice—it’s part of the choreography itself, reshaping power, presence, and connection in the space.
This isn’t about watching. It’s about showing up.
👉 Read the full article at the link in our bio
Photo: Kosoko Performance Studio
Image Description: A dark teal border on the left and bottom edges of a white rectangle. In the center, an image: A portrait of jaamil olawale kosoko wearing white against a white background. The fingertips of one hand rest upon their temple as they gaze into the camera. The image is edited with a grainy texture and faint distortion. In the lower-left corner of the post, in dark teal and black, a lowercase t and uppercase D, the logo for Thinking Dance. Above the image are blue letters that read This Is Not Surveillance. You Gon Have To Participate, and below the image are blue letters that read by Caitlin Green.
#Dance #ContemporaryDance #PerformanceArt #AudienceEngagement #ImmersiveArt #DanceWriting #PerformingArts #ArtAndParticipation #ExperimentalDance #LiveArt #ArtsMatter #EngageWithArt #JaamilOlawaleKosoko #ThinkingDance #thINKingDANCE
In thINKingDANCE’s latest feature by Brendan McCall on Donald Byrd, “Five Alarm Dance,” we’re reminded just how urgent, provocative, and intellectually charged dance can be.
Byrd’s work doesn’t just move—it challenges. Blending rigorous structure with bold social commentary, his choreography pushes audiences to confront discomfort, question assumptions, and stay engaged long after the performance ends. His dances often explore complex themes—race, identity, power—through movement that is both physically demanding and emotionally layered.
This is dance that sparks conversation. Dance that refuses to be passive. Dance that asks something of all of us.
👉 Read the full article at the link in the bio and join the conversation.
Photo: Steven Pisano
Image Description: A dark teal border on the left and bottom edges of a white rectangle. In the center, an image: A projection screen shows big black chunks of falling debris. Behind that, we see a person with dirt on their cheeks and wearing dark overalls, carrying another person in front of them across their stomach. The person being carried wears a gray dress, and their bare limbs hang lifeless. Beyond these two, in the distance, we can faintly see another pair, facing one another with their hands extended towards one another. In the lower-left corner of the post, in dark teal and black, a lowercase t and uppercase D, the logo for Thinking Dance. Above the image are blue letters that read Donald Byrd’s Five Alarm Dance and below the image are blue letters that read by Brendan McCall.
#Dance #ContemporaryDance #DonaldByrd #DanceWriting #PerformingArts #Choreography #DanceCommunity #ArtsMatter #SupportTheArts #DanceLife #thINKingDANCE #ThinkingDance #SpectrumDanceTheater #LaMaMaMoves!
#TBT to “VISIBILITYtalks: Hook & Loop”—a powerful look at collaboration, access, and what it means to create on your own terms.
This archive feature by Kenwyn Samuel from 2021 highlights a collectively-led, disabled artist collective building space for creativity, care, and community. Through shared process and open practice, Hook & Loop centers agency—inviting artists to move, make, and express in ways that honor their bodies and lived experiences.
It’s a reminder that accessibility isn’t an add-on—it’s a foundation. And when artists are given the tools and freedom they need, something deeper than performance emerges: connection, joy, and collective identity.
From the archives, still resonating. 💥
👉 Revisit the full article at the link in the bio and move through the archive with us!
Photo: Kenwyn Samuel and Hook & Loop
Image Description: A white and light blue square with a dark blue border on the left and bottom edges. In the lower-left corner, the logo for Thinking Dance is in black typewriter font, with a lowercase t and an uppercase D. In white and black underlined letters, the posts read From The Archive, Visibility Talks: Hook & Loop, March 24, 2021 by Kenwyn Samuel. In the Center of the square is a small image with an orange banner that reads Visibility Talks Hook and Loop. Behind the words on the right side is a blurred image with pinks and browns and greens.
#TBT #FromTheArchives #Dance #DisabilityJustice #AccessibleArt #DanceCommunity #PerformanceArt #DanceWriting #ArtsAccess #InclusiveArts #ChronicIllness #DisabledArtists #CommunityCare #thINKingDANCE
Join us for thINKingDANCE Spring Thing—a casual Sunday gathering for dance, writing, and creative community featuring work-in-progress performances, refreshments, and raffle prizes. All ages welcome—bring a friend and spend the afternoon connecting, creating, and celebrating together on May 3 from 2–4pm at Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia.
Link in the bio for event details and registration!
Included in our performance lineup is Raphael Xavier and his piece Dancing Is The Point
Xavier has been a professional dancer and performer for the last 30 years, working across a variety of fields, including music, photography, and film, and pushing the boundaries of artistry in Hip Hop.
Photo: Bicking Photography
Image Description First Slide: On a black marley floor under stage lights, a man in a red shirt, black pants, and red shoes, does a handstand, loose, left leg flying higher, knees bent, elbows bent.
Image Description Second Slide: Green and blue marbled paper and wild star bursts are collaged together. In two black ovals, it reads: You're invited to the thINKingDANCE Spring thing!
What: work-in-progress performances! Raffle prizes! Music! Refreshments!
When: Sunday, May 3rd, 2-4pm
Where: Asian Arts Initiative (Event Hall, 3rd FL) 1219 Vine St.
In the lower right corner are paper leaves and a sunshine baby rattle, and it says Kid-friendly! coloring, games, and puzzles provided!
#ThinkingDance #SpringThing #DanceCommunity #PhiladelphiaEvents #CreativeCommunity #LivePerformance #DanceAndWriting #ArtsEvents #FreeEvents #SupportLocalArtists
Bodies under pressure. Light that reveals everything. Movement that refuses to stay fixed.
In this guest-writer feature, “Bodies Exposed Under Hard Light: Encountering Fables,” Yuying Chen provides a compelling meditation on performance, embodiment, and the strange power of fable-like worlds unfolding through movement. ✨
Read, reflect, and let it linger. Link in the bio for this and other articles
Photo: David Wong
Image Description: A dark teal border on the left and bottom edges of a white rectangle. In the center, an image: One dancer grabs the other by the collar, suspending him in midair. The lifted
dancer’s head tilts back and his chest opens, embodying a forced exposure and a sense of loss of control. The two dancers appear to have just been in a struggle. Behind
them, a performer holding a microphone stands in the light, as if witnessing or
intervening in this moment. In the lower-left corner of the post, in dark teal and black, a lowercase t and uppercase D, the logo for Thinking Dance. Above the image are blue letters that read Bodies Exposed Under Hard Light: Encountering Fables and below the image are blue letters that read by Yuying Chen.
#ThinkingDance #DanceWriting #ContemporaryDance #PerformanceArt #Embodiment #DanceCriticism #ArtWriting #GuestWriter #MovementResearch #Choreography #DanceCommunity #ExperimentalArt #Fables #BodiesInMotion #LivePerformance
Emily "Lady Em" Culbreath and Joshua ‘Supa Josh’ Culbreath will show a work in progress as part of thINKingDANCE Spring Thing — a casual, community-centered afternoon of dance, writing, and creative exchange.
“In Translation” is an excerpt from where the maps unfold..., an original evening-length work by SBMA. This layered duet explores identity, memory, and shared experience through street dance–informed movement and text. Through embodied storytelling, the performers chart a living geography of presence—where personal and political truths meet, resist, and transform. Each gesture traces terrain shaped by gender, race, and belonging, positioning performance as a site of relational inquiry and feminist praxis.
Join us on Sunday, May 3 (2–4 PM) at Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia for refreshments and connection across disciplines. Free and open to all.
event link in our bio for more details!
Photo: courtesy of the artists
Image Description: Two dancers in a black box theater space, crumpled paper strewn across the floor. One dancer leaps, curling her legs up under her. The other dancer, also caught in motion, has his hands raised in front of him and seems to lunge toward the wooden chair behind him.
#thINKingDANCE #SpringThing #WorkInProgress #ContemporaryDance #AudioDescription #LiveEvent #CommunityEvent #ExperimentalPerformance #DanceResearch #PhiladelphiaArts #BreakDance
From the archive ✨
In this 2011 thINKingDANCE review of Lionel Popkin and Gabrielle Revlock at the Performance Garage by Jonathan Stein, we’re reminded of a moment where experimentation, identity, and collaboration took center stage.
Revisit the archive and move through thINKingDANCE history with us!
#ThinkingDance #FromTheArchive #DanceHistory #PerformanceGarage #ContemporaryDance #DanceWriting #Choreography #ExperimentalDance #EmbodiedPractice #ArtAndIdentity #DanceArchive #PerformanceArt #DanceCommunity
“Dance writing reminds me that movement lingers, resonates, ripples into the world in ways which are deeply felt.” ✨
As one of thINKingDANCE’s first Emerging Writer Fellows reflects, the fellowship is more than a program—it’s a space to nurture voice, deepen practice, and stay in conversation with the dances that move us.
Rooted in care, curiosity, and collaboration, the Emerging Writers Fellowship supports artists in exploring how writing and movement intersect—where reflection becomes connection, and response becomes part of the work itself.
Here’s to building spaces where dance lives on through language, dialogue, and shared experience. 💬
#ThinkingDance #EmergingWriters #DanceWriting #ArtsFellowship #DanceCommunity #WritingPractice #EmbodiedKnowledge #PerformanceReflection #ContemporaryDance #WritersOfInstagram #ArtAndProcess #CreativeCommunity
