Helen Simoneau; photo by Hope Davis

 

From Helen Simoneau (Winston-Salem, NC):

I like to work with dancers that are interested and curious about my creative process and are willing to spend time exploring.

From Jenny Showalter (now based in New York, NY):

The main thing I look for in a dancer is someone who is unique in his/her style. That dancer doesn’t have to copy my movement perfectly, but she needs to bring herself into the process. I am most captivated by risk takers and “thinking dancers” who embody movement fully. Also, dancers who are driven to excel in their performance.

From Netta Yerushalmy (New York, NY):

It is different for every project. I have never worked with someone who I don’t know at all. My next project has a clear structure and conceptual frame and I will just need to fill in the cast with dancers – most probably ones I’ve worked with before and others that I have had my eye on for a while from my seat in the audience… But most often I will begin knowing who I want to work with before I know what I will make. For my last project I knew I wanted to work with some students of mine from Philadelphia. That was the initial spark. Casts for other works have come together in a variety of ways but I’m always looking for people that are incredibly talented movers, usually highly skilled but able to dismantle their training and meander into lesser known modalities, really smart and rigorous thinkers, able to access their wit and strangeness, and dancers who connect deeply to what I make. There is nothing worse than encountering an eager dancer who I feel is connecting with me because they think I might be able to give them a gig but who ultimately has no real sense of what I make and has never shown up at my performances. 

From Kate Weare (Brooklyn, NY):

Finding the right dancers is not easy. I’ve tried various methods over the years, but recently I’ve been asking dancers who interest me into workshops to watch them in process over a short intensive period. This level of interaction is helpful to discerning whether we might be a good match from both sides. It’s just as important that a dancer is genuinely interested in me and my work as it is that I’m interested in him/her.

My works tunes into individuality, so I’m looking for highly articulate dancers who can speak through their bodies about their experience and sense of self. For this reason I’m often attracted to mature dancers, but youth has its special qualities too. For my work a high level of technical capacity is important, but technique can feel vastly different in dancers. The last thing I want is a group of dancers who all move alike. I ask for a lot of intellectual and emotional engagement from dancers in my process and onstage, not to mention intimacy, as I explore a great deal of partnering. My work is not for the shy of heart.

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