Sydni & Brailey
Company member Sydni met Brailey Johnson when Annex collaborated with The Power Company Collaborative for the 2019 performances of THE RED SUITCASE. We immediately thought of Brailey for shared spaces/separate places because we all enjoyed moving with her last Fall. Although Sydni knew she would miss the physicality in connection that she felt when dancing with Brailey last season, she was excited to be paired with her for a virtual improvisation!
From Sydni, “We were provided the words FORGOTTEN and DIAGONAL to structure our improv. We were drawn to the prompt of forgetting and discussed what that could mean for our movement. Brailey went in the direction of accumulating movement then forgetting it, while I wanted to attempt to forget body parts as I moved. After dancing together we incorporated each other’s approach and found more success in our movement. “Diagonal” also made an impact on our movement more than we had anticipated. We discussed finding diagonals in our bodies while not having a lot of room to take up space in our respective environments.”
Brailey is the artistic director of The Johnson Company (JoCo). Rooted in the budding but diverse Columbia dance community, JoCo aims to disrupt ideas about contemporary dance while providing outlets and opportunities for people to consume dance in new ways. Their work combines the smooth, contracting movements characteristic of contemporary dance with the staccato, rhythmic movement personified by our dancers, all while exploring the nuances of pedestrian movement. Through personal investigation, improvisation, transparency, and group work, JoCo comes together to create work that appreciates the past, is grounded in the present, but reaches towards the future. Follow @thejohnsoncompany for updates about workshops and performances!
