Online Residency 2021

 

Biography

Sadie Cahill is a Toronto-based dance/ theatre artist, possessing a versatile performance background, and a distinct knowledge of multiple dance styles. Sadie holds a BFA degree in Dance from York University, where she was a 2-year member of the York Dance Ensemble, while training under professional dance artists such as Julia Sasso, Syreeta Hector, Susan Lee, and Helen Jones. As a performer, Sadie has had the pleasure of working with established creators such as Darcey Callison, Raine Kearns, Suzanne Liska, and more. Most recently, Sadie had the pleasure of performing in Theatre Oculus’s dance film ‘Venus & Adonis’, which will premiere in the 2021 Toronto Fringe Festival.  As a choreographer, Sadie studies the beauty in the simplicity of everyday life, and focuses on a collaborative and improvisational driven process to produce authentic movement and relatable themes. During this residency within the ‘Artist on Standby’ theme, Sadie looks forward to exploring the ebb and flow of artistic inspiration during this time of solitude, and how the challenges of this pandemic affected the everyday morale of an artist.  

 

Project

 

Prior to the start of this pandemic, my choreographic research was inspired by Henry Miller’s famous quote: ‘to make living itself an art, that is the goal.’

This led me into a deep exploration of the everyday beauty within routine and ritual. Looking at the ways in which we can examine simple gestures and practices under the choreographic microscope, to pinpoint the magic. When this world-changing virus locked us in our homes, these routines and rituals that once gave us a sense of stability were destroyed, we were forced to re-adapt and find any sense of normal within the chaos. Like all other artists, I felt my creativity and motivation sinking deeper and deeper.

We were all lost. But then, a funny thing happened. This complete lack of normalcy forced us to search the unknown. As people, we started branching out to new hobbies, activities, relationships, career paths, and ways of living. As artists we learned new skills, the virtual platform magnified networking possibilities, and we reinvented the way the world can consume the performing arts. I soon realized that I was given a new perspective to my existing research. Routine and ritual keep us grounded, but what if being grounded means that we lose the opportunity to soar?

My proposal for the theme of ‘Artist in Standby’ is a dance-theatre work that deconstructs, explores, and celebrates the honest stories of our quarantine trials and triumphs. This pandemic took so much away from us, but as artists we are resilient. I plan to build this dance-theatre work in a digital, film realm, using movement and physical expression derived from improvisation based scores. I strive to maintain authenticity in order to promote an inclusive viewing atmosphere, finding comfort and a sense of belonging while witnessing the ways we all relate in experiences of everyday vulnerability.

This is a message of hope. It is a message of forgiveness. It is a message of resilience.

I am hoping this piece can serve as a souvenir of remembrance when we look back at this time. To know that even when the stage seems dark, the arts will prevail. We have been artists in standby, but we adapted, we grew, and we never stopped creating

Links

Instagram @sadiecahill