wednesday morning
I elevate everyday items – feathers, rope, thistle – crafting an abstract screendance that is projected onto scrim, and placing me dancing live within the fantastical environment. My movement is dictated by the screendance – I pay attention to shifts in color, choosing when to move into or out of visible areas. An improvised score based on a bread recipe guides the choreography, with the aim to let the emotion arising from each prompt become movement. For timing, I listen to my felt sense.

This work takes inspiration from my work with film and continues my exploration of real time vs. recorded time. I use the screendance to edit how/when I’m seen by the audience. The goal is for screendance and live performance to function as partners rather than one serving as a backdrop. 

I’m still trying to understand this work. I notice visibility again, leaning into my desire to dictate how/when I’m seen. With more time embodying the score, my movement response has shifted. The prompt “score” once carried forceful energy, tied to a painful memory. Over time, it has softened, feeling reclaimed. I continue to use texture, intuited pacing, non-human movement, spacing and orientation.
PRESENTATIONS
November 2024: Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
July 2024: Dances on the Lakewalk, Duluth, MN

CREATIVE TEAM
choreography, dance, cinematography, editing, projections, sound design, costume design | Kayla Schiltgen
music | Dean Sibinski
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Kayla is a recipient of the Individual Artist Equity Grant, made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and culture heritage fund.
additional Photography by cc Boyle Photography, Adrian Steinbach, bill cameron, ASHLEY DEREN