By Jonathan Bailey
I met Liz in Bali 2018. A dancer from Mexico, she came to study Balinese dance. I asked Liz to perform a traditional dance called Condong for our upcoming Christmas celebration, and she agreed. The day came for the celebration and Liz danced beautifully well. She left Bali the following summer having grown a bit as a dancer and artist. After five years, Liz told me she was returning to Bali, this time for a longer stint. I was thrilled. However, Liz hadn’t danced for a long time.
When we started a new music project last fall, I invited Liz to join as a contemporary dancer. Again, she agreed although she’d not danced in several years. Over the course of two months, she prepared under the direction of our dramaturgist, Jelena, from Serbia who I knew would take Liz on an inward journey that would be the foundation of her movement in the performance. It was a process that Liz would describe later as a turning point for her. It wasn’t just a return to the dance that she loved, but something new was born in her that would be a needed point of strength in the difficult days that followed.