Emory Dance Company Choreographer Xavier Bell

My name is Xavier Bell, and I am a junior studying neuroscience and dance. I am from a small town in Mississippi named Pass Christian. For my Emory Dance Company piece, I am aiming for an exposition, a journey into the variable images and reflections we have within us. I want to explore how as time passes, some things are lost, and others are gained. But the consistency of the reflection serves as a reminder of the pain and beauty in who we are, where we've been, and where we aim to be.

For my choreographic process, I am working with the dancers and allowing my piece to mold alongside their movements. I want to give both the movers and myself an opportunity to show and BE the reflection of ourselves and our inner workings. Several parts of the dance are driven by improvisation, and for others, I provide materials for the dancers to sculpt with their own movements.

I hope the audience questions their own reflection. What do they see within themselves? Have they experienced the pain and effervescence of their gaze? I wish for my and the dancer's pain, satisfaction, and beauty to be the catalyst that allows for these questions to arise within the audience. The self acts as the intermediary between thoughts and actions. This translation is what I want the audience to explore through the work.