‘MOVING BEYOND THE BOX’ A Triumph of Dance and Togetherness in an Era of Isolation

In March 2020, during quarantine at home, director/choreographer and TFTV faculty member Christie Kerr looked for new ways to connect and continue to make art. She reached out to 14 dancers from across the U.S. and sent them choreography to learn via an instructional video. The dancers, both professionals and TFTV Acting/Musical Theatre students, recorded themselves in their various locations and sent the resulting videos back to Christie. The dance videos were then edited together with snippets of media stories and sound in a cohesive virtual dance piece that unites the far-flung company of dancers in one digital space entitled Moving Beyond the Box.

Kerr sat down for a conversation with The Theatre Times writer Michael Schweikardt about Moving Beyond the Box, the experiential installation that highlights the positive aspects of a technology-dependent era.

“I learned so much from this project,” reflected Kerr. “Collaborating in this fashion has really been exciting for me. It’s very different from the work that I typically do as a Director/Choreographer in a musical. But, with the knowledge that I’ve learned, I’m hopeful I can use it for future projects and shows. I’ve already incorporated some of the ideas and concepts into a Choreography class I’m teaching, so I’m excited to see what discoveries we will make.”

Moving Beyond the Box screened in the Theatre Building Courtyard on campus at the University of Arizona via a large-scale projection installation on the evenings of January 28 & 29, 2022.