When we first saw Adrienne dance on set for our new Movement collection, we were captivated. An intuitive modern dancer and performance artist, Adrienne's flows and rhythms are nothing short of magical to watch.
We sat down with her after shooting the Movement collection to discuss her dance history, how she connects to her body, and how movement brings creativity to all aspects of her life. To see clips of this interview through video, check out our Instagram.
When did you first start to dance and what led you to rediscover your passion?
I first started dancing when I was a little girl. I loved performing and the live energy exchange with the audience, even though it was just parents. I loved connecting with the other girls. I enjoyed connecting with the other performers and learned to be focused on my body as a way to communicate and express myself. I’ve always been in my head a lot, and through dance, I realized there were other ways to process being in the world.
By the time I was an undergrad, I hadn't taken classes since I was a little girl. I had to fulfill a PE credit and I took a modern dance class. It instantly felt so natural, and I knew I was supposed to be there. Coming back into my body and following my impulsive movements instantly appealed to me, and I just wanted to keep doing that.
How do your thoughts change when you’re dancing?
What I love about dancing is that I get out of my mind and learn to respect the knowledge of my body. I often compare dancing to skateboarding…you have to get out of your head or you’ll get hurt.
Your body calculates things that your mind can’t — your speed and environment. When I'm dancing, I drop out of my mind and tune into what’s going on in my body. I listen to intuitive impulses and honor them by moving how I want to. It's cathartic. If I'm performing, that adds another element of fulfillment.
Do realizations come to you through dance that weren't coming to you consciously?
When I let myself experiment and give myself the time and space to play, I learn so much about creativity. It reminds me of the capacity within myself to make choices and surprise myself.
Dancing expands all possibilities. I’m not limited to one framework of processing, understanding, or communicating. In this society we are so dependent on language. Dance can enlighten you as to how much more you’re capable of.
Dancing expands all possibilities. I’m not limited to one framework of processing, understanding, or communicating.
Who are your favorite artists to dance to?
The music that I’ve been moved by the most (since I was in high school) is Radiohead. I’ve spent decades falling in love with their different albums. They evoke so much out of me, more than any other artist.
Music can be used as a tool to reflect back to you how you’re feeling, to find comfort in that feeling, or it can be used to bring you out of that feeling, as a tool of exploration.
Can you dance your way out of a feeling?
I absolutely think that movement can empower you to shift your physical, physiological, or emotional state. When you dance, you’re opening up energy channels, your blood’s circulating, and more oxygen is flowing to the brain. Because modern dance can be so intuitive, I am often more connected to my emotional state and therefore have more power to shift it.
Do you ever follow a routine, or do you always dance intuitively?
Because I stopped dancing at such a young age, I didn’t get to develop a practice like so many dancers I know who studied a specific form for years and years. They cultivated a practice based on routines and positions, and I didn’t have that.
When I take modern dance classes with people who have trained in ballet their entire lives, they would struggle to release, whereas that's all I knew. I could easily drop or fling myself around. I was trying to structure my free-for-all movement in those classes, and they were trying to unlearn structure.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start dancing at an older age?
It pains me that so many people feel alienated from the dance world. The art of dancing can feel so exclusive and can be very intimidating for people. I would recommend starting in your own space, alone. Lay on the floor and close your eyes. Pay attention to what’s going on in your body. We don’t pay attention most of the time, we just go go go….we intellectualize our experience to the point where we don’t trust or understand the wisdom inside of our bodies.
Start connecting to your body without caring about any external influence or judgment. Build intimacy and understanding in your own space, so you can then find the people who are interested in that way of moving, instead of going to a structured technique class and instantly feeling out of place.
We don’t pay attention most of the time, we just go go go….we intellectualize our experience to the point where we don’t trust or understand the wisdom inside of our bodies.
Who in the dance world do you look up to?
A choreographer that has been influential to me is Ohad Naharin. He developed a movement language called Gaga, which is the antidote to structured dance technique. In Gaga, you’re given prompts to listen to what’s going on in your body, connecting effort to pleasure, and allowing yourself to tap into all of the ways that you can explore your body through movement. I go see his work and I find myself out of my seat, it’s so powerful and moving.
Tell me about a time when you were performing that meant a lot to you.
One moment in particular made me realize I needed to create and perform for the rest of my life to feel fulfilled. While in college, I was allowed to make a dance performance. I collaborated with my friend who played the upright bass and we performed in a bar. The concept was to bring the arts to people who wouldn’t normally go to the theatre. It was a loud, chaotic bar that became so quiet when we performed that I could hear the food bell in the kitchen. When I got off the stage, a woman came up to me. She was weeping and she said, “I didn’t know that I needed that, thank you.” She was someone who would never go to the theatre.
That was the most powerful moment I've ever had in my life, not just as a dancer. I was able to understand the power I have to affect another person, to make them feel seen and less alone. I don’t think I’ve come across another experience that made me feel that connected to a stranger.
How is dancing an extension of yourself?
When I dance, I can remember that I’m a primal being. It’s more acceptable for me to perform a seemingly violent movement through dance than it is to scream at someone. We can be kind and we can be really ugly towards each other. We can share hilarious, absurd, sweet, and angry moments. When you’re able to express those feelings physically, it can help you understand yourself better than through words.
The ability to express those emotions through movement is a different way to celebrate the scope of the human experience.
Dancing allows me to express how I feel about this world…being human…the guttural feelings of what injustice and suffering do to me, or the joy and elation I can receive from seeing people take care of each other…the ability to express those emotions through movement is a different way to celebrate the scope of the human experience.
How does dance inspire you?
When I feel constricted and I’m holding a lot of stress in my body after sitting upright all day at a computer, dancing breathes life back into me. Humans often forget that we have the ability to be more fluid, and when I allow myself to tap into fluidity, it awakens my curiosity, my imagination, and my playfulness…and all of those things make my life richer.
Where can people find you to learn more about you and your work?
You can find me on Instagram at @OfAdrienne. I also recently started a YouTube channel, also called OfAdrienne, where I muse about many things that we’ve been talking about: the creative process, writing, and encouraging myself and other people to play and experiment.