BRATTLEBORO — Vermont Performance Lab created the SEED Program in 2015 to help strengthen the regional dance ecology by supporting local choreographers in the creation of new work.
The program invests in Vermont artists by connecting them with tools and resources that build their work and capacity. Selection for SEED is a competitive process managed by the Performance Lab and each artist chosen is provided an artist fee, a residency at VPL, housing for up to five people for the residency, a travel stipend, and production support.
Vermont Performance Lab will share a work-in-process showing of Vermont-based choreographer Pauline Jennings' newest work, Sea Inside our Skin. Jennings has been living and working in Shanghai during the last year, and this audience-immersive, multi-media duet is rooted in the Chinese maxim, “drink the water, remember its source.”
The performance will take place at 118 Elliot on Saturday, July 28, starting at 7 p.m., and is free and open to the public. No reservations required - but seating is limited, so audience members are encouraged to arrive early.
Jennings is the recipient of VPL's 2018 SEED Award which includes an award of $2,500 and a week-long development residency. She is a contemporary choreographer who is compelled to solve critical questions through her body and its relationship to others via responsive systems.
Her choreographic method is aimed at providing a journey for both dancers and audience, and Jennings also shares VPL's commitment to engaging local audiences in the artistic process. During the residency at the VPL, Jennings will be joined by collaborators Joshua Lacourse (movement), Sean Clute (music) and Jessica Gomula (video).
In addition to being on the dance faculty at St. Michael's College in Winooski, Jennings' choreography for stage and interactive installations has been performed both nationally and internationally in festivals and showcases.
“The SEED Program was developed in response to the need for more comprehensive support for local emerging professional dance artists,” VPL Director Sara Coffey said in a news release.
“Now in its third year, we are so pleased to see how the program is building a more secure and dynamic future for dance makers by supporting incubation of new work and galvanizing resources and expertise to sustain regional choreographers.”
The 2018 SEED Program is made possible with generous support from the Vermont Community Foundation, the Vermont Arts Council, and VPL's Creation Fund Donors.