In this 90-minute workshop, Bonita Oliver will lead participants through exercises based in sound, movement, and storytelling. Bonita combines the framework of Viewpoints with her own tools generated from process oriented, exploratory work. Participants are invited to engage in a number of exercises meant to empower individual voices within the collective – culminating in a communal, choral poem.

WHEN:  August 30, 2023 | 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

WHERE: Dance Center, Studio G201

ADMISSION: Pay as you wish! (Recommended: $10) | REGISTER HERE

Bonita Oliver is a multidisciplinary performance artist, improviser and astrologer. Her work is about transitions- the process of moving through. She creates deeply emotional, body in space, concept art through voice, music, environmental soundscapes and movement. The motivation is to heal personal and ancestral trauma in order to make way for discovery and connection.

Her process is in the moment and responds to stimuli – be it internal or external -through embodiment and interaction. Her live works exhibit this process in real time. Bonita, who also performs by the name, French Leave, is originally from Massachusetts and now resides in Manhattan. While she is a resident artist at Snug Harbor, Bonita will be conducting research into the lives of seamen and connecting stories between residents of Staten Island with her own parental lines.

This class is a part of the Snug Harbor Dance Festival, a celebration of the local and citywide dance community. With dance classes throughout the month, the dance festival will culminate in a two-day event made up of performances, workshops, dance films, field conversations, and site-based activations.