Artist Residency: Mahaila Patterson-O’Brien at The Dance Centre | Sept 2021
Soft Creature
A solo score to shed the performative self and stay present with imperfection and vulnerability.
Collaborator: Felicia Lau
Words from the Artist:
“To be supported by New Works in a technical residency at the Dance Centre was really a gift. This is a work that has no end state. Having the space to change my mind and try different configurations without the pressure of an imminent performance allowed me to step back and look at the larger picture of the work as a whole. What are all the ways this work can exist in this space? How do the technical aspects support the ideas behind the movement rather than be aesthetic impositions or afterthoughts? I’m grateful that New Works recognizes that artists need time to ask these kinds of questions and are providing the resources to help them do so.” -Mahaila
Artist Bio:
Mahaila Patterson-O’Brien is a choreographer in Vancouver BC. She holds a BFA (Hons.) in
Dance from SFU School for the Contemporary Arts. Her work has been presented at Dancing
on the Edge, Victoria Dance Days (Dance Victoria), Dance in Vancouver, Dance Victoria
Choreographic Lab,12 Minutes Max, Dance Allsorts, and ROMP! Festival of Dance.
Her choreography revolves around form and abstract gestures through the use of unison,
repetition, and complex patterns. The use of projections and light play a prominent role in her
work creating architecture for space and revealing the internal worlds of the performers.