Meet a Dancer: Katharina Schier

In preparation for Luminarium's 2016 feature production PORTAL: Stories from the Edge, Luminarium's Publicity Intern, Lillian Gaylord, has interviewed each of the performers to better introduce them to you—our followers. Enjoy getting to know Katharina Schier, then come see her perform at the show: November 11 & 12 at the Boston University Dance Theater. Grab your tickets here!

Katharina Schier

Guest Performer since June 2016

LG: You are in Kim’s new (currently untitled) work, she mentioned that the process was pretty in depth and “outside the norm,” could you elaborate on that?

KS: Having the opportunity to be a part of Kim’s new work has been very special because Katie and I are able to participate in the creation of the work. It is not just a duet of two dancers, it is a duet of Katie and I. This is unique from other processes where you may just learn a sequence of steps from a choreographer. With Kim we have been experimenting with her ideas and I feel that Katie and I are able to help materialize some of Kim’s artistic visions. For this reason stepping out and watching ourselves on video after Kim’s rehearsal is breathtaking and special because in a sense I had not “seen” the choreography before then. This is because she really experimented with movements on OUR bodies instead of showing as all the choreography and asking us to learn it from her dancing.

Rehearsal photo of Katie and Katharina manipulating movement from Kim in the studio.

LG: Do you feel that the discussions, compositions, and trust exercises helped you connect to the work and to Katie? If so, in what ways?

KS: I definitely feel that the discussions, compositions and trust exercises Kim conducted helped me throughout this process. This is my first season working with Luminarium and for me, feeling comfortable and welcome in rehearsals allows me to feel creatively uninhibited which I really appreciate in a dance rehearsal. Through many of the events and rehearsals with Luminarium I feel I have been able to connect with Katie individually but also I have began to get to know her as a dancer and that is key in creating such an intense and closely intertwined duet. 

Katharina performing at her first event with Luminarium:
300 Years at Longfellow's Wayside Inn, July 2016. Photo: ryan Carollo.

LG: Is this your first time working with Luminarium? If so, what drew you to the company? If not, how does this show compare to work you’ve done with them in the past?

KS: I feel my path crossed with Luminarium Dance Company by chance, but I could not be happier or more grateful that it did. I feel in Luminarium I am not just a dancing body but that it is a place where the dance artist is a contributing creative asset. This is my first time working with Luminarium and I hope to continue to have opportunities to be a part of their process.

PORTAL: STORIES FROM THE EDGE

NOVEMBER 11 & 12 . 8PM

Boston University Dance Theater

Boston MA

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