dropshift dance is a provocative, inquisitive and authoritative investigator of movement. Conceived through a collaborative incubation laboratory of movement, sound, and visual installation, the work engages audience with dialogue, choice and experimental practice. DSD works through a rigorous process of studio investigation to create work that energizes the space and creates an alternate world for the performer and viewer. Using specific directives of quality, imagery, and trajectory DSD creates movement environments that allow the viewer an opportunity to connect and engage with what is abstract by layering the physical experience with one that is human and authentic.
dropshift was founded in 2009 by Chicago based artist Andrea Cerniglia as a movement project dedicated to a collaborative and investigative studio practice and pushing the boundaries of the art form in performance. The company makes work for solo and ensemble members throughout the season and is directed by Ms. Cerniglia. Movement investigation and creation is conceived in collaboration with the dancers and is directed through an imagery based narrative in order to mine each voice of creation and allow for abstraction in performance. The company mines abstract concepts and asks questions that dissect societal structure, dynamics, and events which surround and impact us. The exploration is limitless and yields a performance to which viewers are invited to find personal connection through evocative image.
Collaboration extends beyond dance into the realm of dance film, visual art and installation piece, and musical composition. dropshift is interested in uniting a myriad of artistic points of view and allowing for an equal contribution and voice from each. This multi-disciplinary approach engages viewers in a visual, aural, and human experience in order to explode the definition of dance performance and move audience towards a transformative experience.
