Interview with Choreographer Taylor Alfonso

Taylor has been dancing since early childhood.  Her almost 16 years of experience began with jazz, ballet, and hip hop.  It eventually led her to competitive dance; mostly modern and lyrical. After a five year hiatus from dance, she is very excited to pursue it again as a Dance major at Austin Community College.  She finds dance to be a very good way to express her thoughts through movement.

    Taylor’s piece for the showcase is a duet.  While it is not specifically about addiction, the inspiration came from witnessing friends experimenting with opiates after high school.  She noticed that the more she tried to help them with their issues, the more burdensome her life became. Her choreography displays a lot of attachment and physical contact between the dancers.  Glitchy, jerky, and somber movement is varied with role reversals. Each dancer has a moment of experiencing addiction / downward spiral while the other becomes the witness. Each of her movers has a unique quality to their dancing style.  One is very grounded and the other has more flow and body part isolation. She finds the pair creates a nice balance together.

    The piece is set to instrumental music by Balmorhea- To the Order of Night.  The costumes and lighting design are still being developed.  She hopes to evoke a dark and unsettled mood through movement with the music creating an ambiance of hope.

Favorite dance genre as a performer: Modern

Preferred artistic role: Choreographer

Favorite food: Potatoes (any style)

Food aversions: Fish (any seafood)