Artist's Statement
What is at risk/what do I desire? I start my process here to reveal the histories our bodies carry. These questions are intrinsic in context to queerness. When a queer-person states what they desire that puts them at risk of potential scrutiny and displacement of individuality. Recent queer-culture promotes individuality in response to being ‘othered.’ Self-proclaimed individuality has created a queer-communal-longing of inclusivity.
I create to move forward together and honor individual identities, strengthening the collective by nurturing the individual, in honor of queer-culture. My new work embodies communal becoming through the joy of individuality.
I create structured-improvisational-scores that are choreographed works in rehearsals and deviated from in performance. This brought radical awareness to my identity: gender binary and choreography is to structure as gender-non-conforming and chance is to deviation. This concept diverges in meaning and upholds multiplicity of freedom within a community structure. Chance is now a tool I use to facilitate genuine impulsive human interaction.
My new process nurture’s the desire of self-exploration as a tool to expand upon the context of cultural community. The game of chance then inspires the continuation of personal desire to understand one another on a deeper level, placing risk in genuine human-connection.
I create to move forward together and honor individual identities, strengthening the collective by nurturing the individual, in honor of queer-culture. My new work embodies communal becoming through the joy of individuality.
I create structured-improvisational-scores that are choreographed works in rehearsals and deviated from in performance. This brought radical awareness to my identity: gender binary and choreography is to structure as gender-non-conforming and chance is to deviation. This concept diverges in meaning and upholds multiplicity of freedom within a community structure. Chance is now a tool I use to facilitate genuine impulsive human interaction.
My new process nurture’s the desire of self-exploration as a tool to expand upon the context of cultural community. The game of chance then inspires the continuation of personal desire to understand one another on a deeper level, placing risk in genuine human-connection.
Selected Choreographic Experience
XwhY |
XwhY - Screendance |
*click images below for more information
Photographer:John Christou
Email(book/purchaseprints):[email protected]
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here nor there |
-an interactive Augmented Reality instillation |
*Click images below for more information
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I'm a Womyn
Title: I'm a Womyn
Choreographer: Karley Wasaff
Performer: Karley Wasaff
Genre: Performance Art
Music: Cow Song by Meredith Monk, Serendipity March by Solens Arc, Happy Woman by Meredith Monk
Sound Engineer: Karley Wasaff
Projection & Lighting Design: Karley Wasaff
*Original premier date is April 13th, 2019 in DRAFTWORKS 2019 at Hollins University, Botetourt Studio II
Choreographer: Karley Wasaff
Performer: Karley Wasaff
Genre: Performance Art
Music: Cow Song by Meredith Monk, Serendipity March by Solens Arc, Happy Woman by Meredith Monk
Sound Engineer: Karley Wasaff
Projection & Lighting Design: Karley Wasaff
*Original premier date is April 13th, 2019 in DRAFTWORKS 2019 at Hollins University, Botetourt Studio II
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*Read below for a further look into the Research behind 'I'm a Womyn'
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Watch below for further information on creative process of 'I'm a Womyn'
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Ambivalent | Ambiguous
Ambivalent | Ambiguous from Karley Wasaff on Vimeo.
Title: Ambivalent | Ambiguous
Choreographer: Karley Wasaff
Performers: Jeanette Morsberger, Haley Oxton, Karley Wasaff
Genre: Modern Dance
Lighting Design: Karley Wasaff
*Original premier date is November 10th, 2019 in Fall Dance 2019 at Hollins University, Hollins Theater
Choreographer: Karley Wasaff
Performers: Jeanette Morsberger, Haley Oxton, Karley Wasaff
Genre: Modern Dance
Lighting Design: Karley Wasaff
*Original premier date is November 10th, 2019 in Fall Dance 2019 at Hollins University, Hollins Theater
Apparatus
Title - Apparatus
Choreographer - Karley Wasaff
Genre - Modern Dance
Performers - Savannah Ijames, Jade Long, Averi Mazur, Collyn Taylor
Apprentice - Hadley Voss
Music - Take Three by Jerry Folk, Haywyre by Restraint, Creep by Deadmau5
Sound Engineer: Karley Wasaff
*Original premiere date is May 6th, 2018 at 2 pm in Student Showcase, at The USM Theater and Dance Building, Studio 115
Choreographer - Karley Wasaff
Genre - Modern Dance
Performers - Savannah Ijames, Jade Long, Averi Mazur, Collyn Taylor
Apprentice - Hadley Voss
Music - Take Three by Jerry Folk, Haywyre by Restraint, Creep by Deadmau5
Sound Engineer: Karley Wasaff
*Original premiere date is May 6th, 2018 at 2 pm in Student Showcase, at The USM Theater and Dance Building, Studio 115
Be .
Title - Be .
Choreographer - Karley Wasaff
Genre - Modern Dance
Performers - Gerald Archard, Trista Barry, Madi Daigle, Jessica Eugene, De'ja Evans, K. Brooke Jerome, Maria Kapustina, Taylor Lucien, Brooke McDonald, Katie Pinkard, Gabriela Salazar, Cass Simmons, Aubrei Whitney
Apprentice - Tiana Kargbo
Music - Chakra Balancing by Native Meditation Zone, The end of all of our exploring by Max Richter, Earth by Yoga Sounds
*Original premiere date is November 30th, 2017 at 7:30 pm in Fall Dance Concert at the USM Theater and Dance Building, Studio 115
Choreographer - Karley Wasaff
Genre - Modern Dance
Performers - Gerald Archard, Trista Barry, Madi Daigle, Jessica Eugene, De'ja Evans, K. Brooke Jerome, Maria Kapustina, Taylor Lucien, Brooke McDonald, Katie Pinkard, Gabriela Salazar, Cass Simmons, Aubrei Whitney
Apprentice - Tiana Kargbo
Music - Chakra Balancing by Native Meditation Zone, The end of all of our exploring by Max Richter, Earth by Yoga Sounds
*Original premiere date is November 30th, 2017 at 7:30 pm in Fall Dance Concert at the USM Theater and Dance Building, Studio 115
*Read below for a further look into the research and creative process of "Be ."
Absence is Presence
Absence is Presence Artistic Statement |
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Title - Absence is Presence
Choreographer - Karley Wasaff Genre - Modern Dance Performers - Tarrah Mills, Kaylin Wilson Apprentice - Gabrielle House Music - Take Three by Jerry Folk, Haywyre by Restraint, Creep by Deadmau5 Sound Engineer: Karley Wasaff Lighting Design: Matthew J. Morris *Original premiere date is March 30th, 2017 at 7:30 pm in PAC Concert at The Mannoni Performing Arts Center at The University of Southern Mississippi |
The original inspiration for this piece sparked from a personal experience of two people struggling to mesh together because of how polar opposite they were. I was intrigued by this idea of antipodal personalities and what occurs when the two are apart and when they collide. So I began to experiment and design with this concept and how it affects the relationship between each other, and as individuals too. The effect of this conflict was for every contrapositive action, there is a positive reaction. In order to genuinely show the opposing concept that in every strength is a weakness, I had to use my dancers to my advantage - mentally and physically. We developed and devised movement in a collaborative manner to bring out their own personal shortcomings and fortitudes. Accumulating material in this manner authentically brought this piece to life; it gave an aesthetic of rawness because the process pulled not from my experiences alone, but my dancers as well. Because of the intimacy in the creative process, the viewer gets a sense of looking in on something rather than being a part of the experience itself. This type of audience participation allows the viewer to forge their own translation of intention. My goal as a choreographer is to avoid forcing an interpretation of the implication of the piece; rather devise an essence that the viewer generates their own perceptions, curiosity, and infinite imagination. Not only has this project successfully achieved inquiring-ness, but my ambition of research and exploration of contradiction.
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Let's Start Collaborating!Brooklyn, New York
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