GRASS STAINS 2024: Vizcaya

I was honored to be invited by the Pioneer Winter Collective to participate in Grass Stains 2024. Grass Stains is a program held every other year in which artists who use movement in their practice are invited for a week to respond to site with a duration based piece. This year we got to spend the week at the Vizcaya museum. Now I’ve posted the video of my dance below, but I recommend reading on the experience first before clicking play. ;)

We started the week with a Brunch at Pioneer’s home so the artists and supporters of the dance collective could mix and mingle. This year we had Gabri Christa as our mentor who would give us feedback on our work throughout the week.

The participating artist the year were:

Gabri Christa Pioneer Winter Luisa Suarez Najja Moon Alexander Zastera
Junior Domingos Aeon De La Cruz Reshma Anwar Chachi Perez Nicole Pedraza Carlos Realegeno Hector Machad Destiny Diaz Iman Clark Stephanie Franco Erika Loyola Barbara Caridad Meulener

Pre work week brunch with the artists

Our work began by first touring the Vizcaya mansion and the grounds. As part of Grass Stains we absorb the history of the space as we learn about the work. The estate was built by industrialist James Deering, inspired by Italian villas, the home and gardens reflect this with South Florida touches like the coral limestone and shell adornments. It was interesting from my perspective as an artist in residence at the Deering Estate, built by James’s half brother Charles. The brothers seemed to have two very different lifestyles, one more of opulence and the other more ecologically minded. As we toured the grounds, I leaned into learning and listening to what the other artists had to say. One of the fastest critiques was the white upper class-ness of the space. Murals on the ceilings had people looking down on you as viewer and the only black body was pictured in service to another. Another eye opening experience was the accessibility of the space. Hector, one of the dancers has a wheelchair, which limited her access to some spaces. As an able bodied, white, male, who has worked in museums, I was unfamiliar with the discomfort in the space so I was grateful for being made aware from other perspectives. This multifaceted view of places and work is what Grass Stains and the Pioneer Winter collective is about. Pi’s mission is ‘dance for every body’, and that was reflected in our site choices. All areas needed to be wheelchair accessible for dancers and audience alike.

Grass Stains artists tour Vizcaya home and gardens

Before I entered the space I knew I had wanted to do something related to climate change. I was thinking I would be dancing on the staircase like the rising seas…I did not end up doing that, but it is funny how sometimes work just wants to be made regardless of the artist and Reshma took on the challenge of dancing with water in a Publix plastic bag tutu (which was later featured on @onlyindade).

The work week in May was HOT. So hot in fact that it broke records. Heat is something you can’t escape in South Florida, but recently it is becoming more and more unbearable. For the residency we were outside everyday for 4 hours at a time— it was draining. The record breaking heat like a felt particularly cruel reminder of the week before where Florida Governor Ron Desantis vetoed an effort to make a heat ordinance in cities that would mandate water, shade and rest for outdoor workers.

Heat index projections for end of the century for Miami-Dade County

A cool coupling.

It was the day the museum was closed and there was a lone agricultural sprinkler in the center of the garden that was asking for a dance partner. That week a sprinkler became my best friend. I would ask the gardeners about their day and what they would think about with working.The dance unfolded from there. I wanted to create a space where visitors could cool off if they needed to. It also became a story of a gardener becoming enticed into play with the water. The day of the performance was so fun. In the video at the top of this page you see the more formal dance, but once my headphones played Stevie Nicks, the movement became more playful. My favorite part of the work was all the visitors who joined me in dancing. It was a movement watering hole where we could all take a break and cool down. I am very grateful for the experience to use movement as a medium to communicate joy based solutions to heat.

Dance is a medicine everyone should take.

Some Vizcaya visitors dancing with me

After performance photo!