mission
Dishman + Co. Choreography is a collaborative dance company based in NYC.
We cultivate moving dialogues to open paths for connection in a divided world.
We believe each body “speaks” in distinct postures and movement qualities - physical dialects formed by our bodies’ shapes and experiences. We believe the ways people move express something of who they are and that moving together creates a culture of connection in which different, even differing voices can be heard and more deeply known.
Current neuroscience affirms that movement uniquely forges a transformative communal connection: Surpassing the power of words, bodily experience is required to reshape neural pathways so ingrained social patterns can shift and new possibilities for trust can open.
Dishman + Co. aims to activate this shift through collaborative dance, drawing varied bodies together in physical dialogues that move toward a more vibrantly connected world.
process
Artistic Director Elizabeth Dishman is inspired by the interaction of different bodily voices. Her collaborative dancemaking process amplifies the relational poetry of the body by drawing into conversation the varied physical dialects of the company’s co-creating dancers.
The artists practice attuning to each other’s physicalities in layered movement explorations, receptively negotiating their different qualities and choices - often real-time or in close proximity. This physical “listening” requires rigorous attentiveness to the others’ bodies, rooted in a commitment to receive and respond to each voice while maintaining one’s own.
This practice gradually cultivates connection and builds a dance both intimate and vigorous that bespeaks a robust, agile community shaped and strengthened by the varied voices within it.
photo by Stephen Delas Heras
