Artwork

Kyle Loven

Kyle Loven

 

RETRACES (2015-16)

Performer and choreographic collaborator

Photos by Tim Summers

Performances:
12th Ave Arts, Seattle WA (premier)
PushOFF, The Culch, Vancouver BC

Give us a voice 2019

(2019) commissioned choreography 

Choreography set on ten young women in North Star Ballet School’s advanced level. This work was created in collaboration with the students. I’ve been interested in exploring different ways of integrating text, voice, and clear messaging into my choreographic works. This interest began with creating gifts of performance for my mother. When I arrived at North Star, I had decided that I wanted to ask my cast of ten young women the question, “what do you have to say to the generation that is leaving you this earth”. We spent a good portion of our first rehearsal time talking about this question. I wrote down each answer, after hearing all the thoughts, I explained that I wanted to build the choreography around the words that we had just discussed. Collectively we settled on “give us a voice” as the text and title for the piece.
My aim was to push these young performers to not only realise my movement ideas, I wanted them to realise their voices individually and as a collective by building vocalised text into the choreography from the very start of rehearsals. I had decided beforehand that the sound used in this work was to come directly from the performers live. Exploration of repetition, abstraction, volume, and exhaustion was the ideas I built, and shaped this work vocally, around. I feel that younger performers often have to be shown how to learn a section of choreography so that they can know this movement sequence without having to think about what step comes next. When this effortlessness is found, the next step is to run this movement sequence to the edge of exhaustion so that the dancer’s ego is shed. When this is found ten dancers can perform as one, their awareness of the ensemble grows and is able to collectively lift each other up. A clear image of the body being propelled by muscle is the intended result. This is quite a lot to ask of young performers, I feel though that this is the most important concept to have been introduced to in the development of a young professional dancer. I was quite proud of what these ten young women accomplished in our time together in rehearsal. This work was set to premier in Fairbanks in April 2020, unfortunately Covid-19 had other plans, so for now the premier is on hold.

 

Street Biennale 2010

(2010) mural

This mural was commissioned for display at the Bumbershoot festival as part of the exhibit, Seattle Street 2010. Painted in four days, this mural was forty feet wide, and eight feet tall. Organized by a collection of Seattle artists, this exhibit showcased the work of active and contributing street artists/muralists and graffiti artists in Seattle.

 

Sweet Rotten Sweet 2019

(2019) Illustrations, set design, publication

While working with Peggy Piachenza on her last performance/installation I created a hand drawn design that was featured in the book Peggy created to document the show. In addition to dancing, I also designed the set, fabricated and installed it as directed by Peggy. This involved building hanging video screen boxes, wall mounted video boxes, wall mounted microphones, printing and prepping and installing two wall to wall floor to ceiling posters one 11’x14’ the other 27’x14’, all the while performing in the month run of the performance component of the shows installation. 

 

We Love This 2019

(2019) Commissioned choreography. North Star Ballet, Fairbanks AK

In collaboration with long time friend Oscar Gutierrez, commissioned by North Star Ballet, Oscar and I created a twenty minute duet about friends seeing each other after a long absence.

 

HYPERNOVA

HYPERNOVA (Rainbow Fletcher) 

Long time friend and collaborator, I have performed for Rainbow in many different forms since 2005.

 

Eleven Eleven (2018)

Dancer and movement collaborator

Performances: 
Northwest New Works Festival, On the Boards, Seattle WA (premier)

 

Bitter Suites (2016-18)

Dancer and movement collaborator

Performances:
YAW Theater, Seattle WA  (premier)
Velocity Dance Center, Seattle WA
Velocity Dance Center, Seattle WA

 

ONTHEFLOOR (2014-15)

Dancer and movement collaborator

Performances:

Velocity Dance Center, Seattle WA (premier)

Peggy Piacenza

Peggy Piacenza

I have had the pleasure of performing for and collabating with Peggy Picenza since 2016.

 

Sweet, Rotten, Sweet (2019)

Dancer, set designer and movement collaborator

Photo Joseph Lambert
Performances:
Bonfire Gallery, Seattle WA (premier)

 

The Event (2016-18)

Dancer and movement collaborator

Photo Joseph Lambert
Performances:
Base, Seattle WA (premier)
Base, Seattle WA

 

Welcome Me (2017)

Dancer and movement collaborator

Photo Joseph Lambert
Performances:
Base Occasional, Seattle WA

Maureen Whiting

Maureen Whiting

I have had the pleasure of performing with and rehearsal directing for Maureen Whiting, since 2006. 

Burden of Joy (2014-present)

Dancer, rehearsal director and movement collaborator

Photo Hillary Goidell
Performances:
ZSpace, San Francisco CA (residency/work in progress) 
SAFEhouse Arts, San Francisco CA (residency/work in progress)
Base Occasional, Seattle WA (residency/work in progress)
SAFEhouse Arts, San Francisco CA (residency/work in progress
ACT Theatre, Seattle WA (residency/work in progress)
SAFEhouse Arts, San Francisco CA (residency/work in progress)
Act Theatre, Seattle WA (residency/work in progress)

 

Belly (2011-13)

Dancer and movement collaborator

Photo Tim Summers
Performances:
Northwest New Works Festival, On The Boards, Seattle WA (premier)
The Fall Kick-Off, Velocity Dance Center, Seattle WA
Fall free For All, Theatre On The Square, Tacoma WA
Baruch College Performing Arts Center, New York NY

 

We R Human (2010)

Dancer and movement collaborator

Performances:
Melrose Market Studio, Seattle WA (premier)
Move! #16, Tacoma WA

 

Myth of Me and You (2009-10)

Dancer and movement collaborator 

Photo Peter Mumford
Performances:
ACT Theater, Seattle WA (premier)
Seattle International Dance Festival, Raisbeck Performance Hall, Seattle WA
University of Washington Dance Department, Seattle WA

 

The Myth of Us (2008)

Dancer and movement collaborator 

Performances: 
Lee Center for the Arts, Seattle WA (work in progress) 
Lee Center for the Arts, Seattle WA (premier)

 

Wandering Bear (2007)

Dancer and movement collaborator

Performances: 
Lee Center for the Arts, Seattle WA (premier)

 

Other Jello/Juicy Point B. (2006-08)

Dancer and movement collaborator

Photo Tim Summers
Performances:
ADT Black Box Theater, Anchorage AK
Move! #7, Tacoma WA
Opening Party, Consolidated Works, Seattle WA

Artville Residency 2019

(2019) Leadville Colorado residency

The month of October, high in the mountains, served as a time for allowing space. My time was spent walking, seeing mountain tops, movement researching/choreographing, environment sketches, mural painting, all while living with dear friends.

 

 

I was able to create the movement framework used for the choreographic commission at North Star Ballet in Fairbanks Alaska following my residency. My environment sketches serve as a personal photograph for my eyes, a drawn memory of any location that captures my attention.

 

 

My friends like to walk. While at Artville I was invited to go for a three-day walk along a section of the Continental Divide Trail. I have for quite a long time fantasized about long distance walking. This served as a beautiful introduction to this revealing and healing path.

 

 

I visited the peaks of five mountain tops over 14,000 feet while at Artville. I have a long standing practice of planting a handstand at the top of high points. I aim to try and pretend that while in the handstand, I’m actually rightside up and holding up the mountain and world in my hands. As a student of my own body, I love the reality of walking up a steep mountain, the physical strength and stamina needed to listen to and work through rapid altitude shifts is humbling to say the least.