Weaving the Generations Together Through
by DAZAUN SOLEYN
Wisdom Keepers explores the parallels and interplays between a craftswoman and a warrior. One parallel between a crafts- woman and a warrior informing our creative process is the intention of protecting, preserving and build- ing a community and culture; one that both holds sacred the teachings of our ancestors, and makes those teachings fluid and relevant to our day to day lives. Through discourse and imagination we explore how a healthy relationship with an ances- tral presence can be reciprocal and ongoing. In some ways these modes of questioning point to an aspect of the soul that is the creative collabo- ration between Liv and myself. THROUGHOUT 2023 , Liv and I built work and co-facilitated communal processes with members of the Dance Generators, a group of dancers that range in age from 18 to 91 years old. These creative rituals held the sim- ple, yet extremely potent intention of working together to build bridges in a world divided by cultures, ances- try, systematic oppression, biases and generational differences. We have found that these communal spaces Wisdom Keepers explores the parallels and interplays between a craftswoman and a warrior
to the creative process that is currently being co-led by Liv, Dance Generators Director and me, Artistic Direc- tor of dazaun.dance and Dance Generators Guest Artist. The upright, intri- cately woven sculptures were created by textile and visual artist Adia Millett. Adia has woven four large-scale quilts outlined with 12-inch feathers which are draped over 6-foot tall mannequins. The drap- ing of the fabric brings these multi-patterned quilts to life creating ghost-like figures in the space. These quilted ancestors represent both
release deep-rooted emotions and gen- erational trauma held within the body. Moving forward, Liv and I are both clear that the next step for us is to extend the invitation to these intergener- ational, intentional spaces to members of our community beyond the Dance Generators network. Through the funding of the CA$H grant we are beginning to investigate what that expansion looks like. We are in the early stages of a new project that will feature three Black and three white artists. In addition to Liv and myself we are
didn’t have access to creative aging spaces like Dance Generators, and she didn’t have the resources to fully express that part of herself. I imagine that the work, spaces, partnerships— the resources that Liv and I will gen- erate through our collaboration— will give elders like my grandmother opportunities to live out their wildest creative dreams. Even though my grandmother is an ancestor in the spiritual realm, I will continue to give her spirit the space to be as creative as she wishes. This intergenerational collaboration is a practice of multidimensional healing for me. I am excited to continue to brainstorm, improvise, play, experiment with physical mate- rial and share space with Liv. To discover ways to do our bridge work with a sense of reverence, responsibility and respect for our ever-changing communities. With an intention to create art that aims to illuminate the human soul, DAZAUN SOLEYN (he/she/they), has presented work in the Bay Area since 2013. He received a BFA in Modern Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of South Florida and continued his dance education at the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program. Recently, Dazaun graduated from California College of the Arts with a Masters in Architecture (MArch). Dazaun is a professor at the University of San Francisco, a Gyrotonic Instructor, Reiki Master and Apprentice Herbalist. His mediums include dance, architecture, sculpture and interactive installations. dazaunsoleyn.org
working with composers Jor- don Dapney and Max Judel- son, and the remaining two artists will be older adults. This work will experiment with communal processes
and methods that bridge gen- erational, cultural and racial divides while examining and interrupting the whiteness that anchors creative aging opportuni- ties in the Bay Area. When I think of the lack of cre- ative aging opportunities for Black Folks I think of my grandmother/ ancestor Louise Langston. I can close my eyes and be transported back to her apartment in Flat- bush, Brooklyn, NY where I hear her telling me sto- ries of how she dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. She could envision designs and she knew she had a creative gift within her. However, she
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dance Generators is a Spring 2023 CA$H grantee. This article high- lights their funded activities and vision. I n just under a week I will be dancing with the ancestors— four standing, quilted sculp- tures called “Quilted Ances- tors.” I will be joined by dancers Liv Schaffer, Sebas- tian Le and Natalya Shoaf, with understudies Mary Jane Agnew and Zoë Quon. “[We are] sharing physical knowl- edge…human to spirit, us to ances- tors and ancestors to us,” Natalya remarked. Her observation speaks
the four elements—earth, wind, fire and air—and viewers’ ancestors as etheric beings. They are part of Mil- lett’s larger exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose, Wisdom Keepers . For the opening of Wisdom Keep- ers we will engage in a variety of part- nerships: human + human; human + quilted ancestor; human + quilted ancestor + human. Gestures and phrases are built in relation to the sculptures and grounded in the rhyth- mic syncopation and groove of house dance, and in reverence to the four symbolic ancestors.
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In Dance | May 2014 | dancersgroup.org
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