INTERVIEW WITH CHOREOGRAPHER PHILIP WEAVER

 

Philip Weaver’s strong hunger to create and move after the isolation period of the pandemic led him to register for the ACC Choreography/Composition class. He expressed that it felt weird getting back into his dancer's body after so long, and sometimes life outside the dance studio would creep back into his focus, but all of the choreographers supported each other through those realities. He felt that all of the dancers were very open and willing to have fun and explore. Philip says, “It felt worth it, to be honest, and that honesty about feeling uncertain was reassuring because it made me feel less alone in those feelings. All in all, it was best to just let go and experience each class as fully as possible at that moment. It helped me feel grounded in myself, even creating new, sometimes unconventional phrases.”.  

He explained that the work prior to constructing individual sections for the evening-length piece titled, We Still Believe in Magic,  involved a lot of personal exploration in a group setting. With that basis of personal understanding, the students set out to make short pieces that were true to each choreographer as an individual but also entertaining for an audience. It was fun and rewarding! This experience offered lots of opportunities for personal storytelling through movement. The structured assignments and activities personally helped Philip open himself up to the group and allowed him to be more vulnerable. This helped him to be able to explore different styles and create a dance with authenticity. 

Philips section of the evening-length piece was conceived as a personal ritual sacrifice to the god of epiphany and theater as a means of asking for intercession on his behalf before the brother and sister gods of purgation whose blessings Philip will humbly beseech. The personal meaning Philip attaches to his choreographed section is the transformational power of Faith. The piece's interpretation depends on the contents of the space in which it shall be performed. He hopes people think more than one thing about it, and that one of those things be a heightened awareness of self.