ABSTRACT 
 
 
 
 
Title of Thesis: WAKING DARKNESS. WAITING LIGHT.   
  
 Matthew Reeves, Master of Fine Arts, 2017 
  
Thesis Directed By: Assistant Professor, Miriam Phillips, School of 
Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies 
 
 
Waking Darkness. Waiting Light. was an evening-length dance/multimedia event 
performed October 7-9, 2016 at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Conceived 
and created collaboratively with Colette Krogol in partial fulfillment of the Master of 
Fine Arts degree from the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, the 
work evolved from individual research that wove together into one seamless 
performance. Using the choreographic elements of weight, time, light, and darkness, 
the work explored the action of transformation and intersections of dance, dream, and 
mythology. This thesis documents the research and creative process to make Waking 
Darkness. Waiting Light.  The Monomyth Theory of comparative mythologist Joseph 
Campbell played a pivotal role in the research, laying a foundation for new methods 
of listening for universal mythic elements within a personal journey. Additionally this 
paper explores perspectives on how mythmaking and dance-making are similar in 
process, and the influence this perspective has on choreography. 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
WAKING DARKNESS. WAITING LIGHT.  
 
 
 
by 
 
 
Matthew Reeves 
 
 
 
 
 
Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the  
University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment 
of the requirements for the degree of 
Master of Fine Arts 
2017 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Advisory Committee: 
Professor Miriam Phillips, Chair 
Professor Sara Pearson 
Professor Patrik Widrig 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© Copyright by 
Matthew Reeves 
2017 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  ii 
 
Preface 
I must acknowledge that this thesis was a collaboration of exceptional 
circumstance between myself, and my wife/artistic soulmate Colette Krogol, as we 
both were completing our thesis project. Rarely do two thesis candidates who have 
over a decade of professional experience together choreographing and producing 
work for their professional company have the time and opportunity to collaborate 
together on a thesis performance and would do so from two seemingly disparate 
departure points. It is also uncommon that these two artists also be married and that 
the intimacies of their being and relationship be such an integral part of the work and 
creative process. The importance and value of these circumstances is not lost on me 
as I reflect on in these pages, the performance that we created for our thesis concert.  
The artistic process of creation is at its best always messy and murky, 
especially as artists look to explore the difficult to describe realms of human 
experience. This thesis process was beautiful, messy, and at many times unclear. Yet 
as the performance is now over and the murky waters of the process have stopped 
churning, there is indeed some slowly arriving clarity of what transpired. This paper 
is an attempt to reveal some of the themes that were brought to light as well as 
knowledge gained from the creative process and performance of Waking Darkness. 
Waiting Light.   
 
 
 
  iii 
 
Dedication 
 
 
 
My Family. 
La Familia. 
To all those who may have an ocean to cross.  
To all those treading water looking for a distant shore. 
  iv 
 
Acknowledgements 
 
The growth I have experienced during my tenure here at the University of 
Maryland has been tremendous. The gracious faculty here has transformed the way I 
create, research, discuss, and ultimately share my art. The notion of transformation is 
so important to me and indeed it was the primary seed of my thesis, so it is first that I 
must acknowledge the incredible people that have transformed me over the past three 
years.  My thesis chair Miriam Phillips has so generously asked me the hard to 
answer questions and has guided me delicately through the dense foliage of my ever-
evolving dance research and writing process. Alongside Miriam, Sara Pearson and 
Patrik Widrig have served as invaluable members of my thesis committee sparking 
me to grow during this process, providing the soft guiding hand when necessary to 
see the transformation through, and offering crucial feedback at critical junctures. 
Guest artist Christopher K. Morgan also gave special attention and consideration to 
my work as it was being developed for the thesis proposal and throughout the creative 
process. Additionally I was fortunate to lean heavy on the wisdom and guidance of 
Karen Bradley, Paul Jackson, Adriane Fang, and Alvin Mayes.  
The production support for this thesis was profound and noble. I would like to 
especially thank Cary Gillett, Tarythe Albrecht, Connor Dreibelbis, Mark Costello, 
Jeffrey Dorfman, Dylan Glatthorn, Robert Croghan, Ryan Andrus, and Jared 
Mezzocchi. These artists went above and beyond in their support of this awesome 
collaboration and they have taught me valuable lessons that will stay with me as my 
work continues.  
  v 
 
There is no dance without the dancers. Jonathan Hsu and Robin Neveu Brown 
are two of the most exceptional dancers with which I have had the privilege to work. 
The final performance exceeded my expectations because of their unique abilities as 
dancers. They do not just perform material but they live the dance. There are few 
people that I have danced with like this and that I have trusted so much. This dance 
was somewhat about surviving the performance together and I feel grateful to have 
survived it with them.  
Furthermore I must recognize the heartwarming sacrifices made by my 
family. They have supported the long hours and the time away from home necessary 
to create meaningful and impactful art. I am privileged to have a family and resources 
that not only support the work I do but also embrace alongside me the opportunities I 
have to do it.   
My final acknowledgement is to my wife and artistic soulmate Colette Krogol. 
Not only did she put up with the ugliest and darkest moments of this creative process 
with me, but she danced through these moments with me on stage as well. She 
graciously let her story and her family’s journey across the ocean become the 
backbone for this transformative process and collaborating alongside her for this 
thesis concert has changed me. Her story has become my story.  
He venido a decirte 
que te sigo queriendo. 
He venido a decirte 
que te sigo amando. 
  vi 
 
Table of Contents 
 
 
Preface ........................................................................................................................... ii	
Dedication .................................................................................................................... iii	
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... iv	
Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... vi	
Chapter 1: Sensing The Performance ........................................................................... 1	
Falling Into The Abyss .............................................................................................. 1	
This Paper Is Not The Dance .................................................................................... 3	
Images & Sections From The Choreographer/ Performer Perspective ..................... 4	
1. Establishing Neutral (Preshow) ........................................................................ 6	
2. Calling Of The Bike .......................................................................................... 6	
3. Falling Into The Abyss ...................................................................................... 7	
4. Assembly ........................................................................................................... 7	
7. Ito Reunion (Brothers Pulled Apart) ................................................................. 8	
9. Pulling The Sons Of Cuba Home/ Bodies Rolling ........................................... 9	
10. Wall Duets (The Pressure of Living) .............................................................. 9	
11. Calling Of The Bike 2 ................................................................................... 10	
12. Searchlight .................................................................................................... 10	
13. Calling Of The Ladder 2 (Diving Into The Still Water) ............................... 11	
14. Calling Of The Bike 3 ................................................................................... 11	
15. Waiting… ...................................................................................................... 12	
16. Lifted Out Of The Waves. Waves Into The Light. ....................................... 12	
17. Assembly 2 .................................................................................................... 13	
18. Colette Solo/Searchlight Solo ....................................................................... 13	
19. He Venido. A Love Letter To Cuba .............................................................. 14	
20. The Divide .................................................................................................... 15	
21. 55 Years In 5 Minutes ................................................................................... 15	
22. The Other Side/ Ladder Duet ........................................................................ 15	
23. Distancia Infinita ........................................................................................... 16	
Chapter 2: My Research as an Artist .......................................................................... 17	
Artist Statement ...................................................................................................... 17	
Mythology And My Work ...................................................................................... 18	
Chapter 3: Origins of the Work .................................................................................. 23	
Myths Of Darkness And Nothing ........................................................................... 23	
Searching For Myths ............................................................................................... 27	
Chapter 4: The Process of Creation ............................................................................ 31	
Story to Myth Via The Dance ................................................................................. 31	
Collaboration on a Mythic Journey ......................................................................... 36	
The Journey with Robin and Jonathan (Dancers) ................................................... 37	
Diving for Projections -Designing with Mark Costello .......................................... 42	
Lights in the Dark -Designing with Connor Dreibelbis .......................................... 43	
Sounds of Light and Dark- Designing with Jeff Dorfman & Dylan Glatthorn ...... 47	
Costumes Washed In The Waves- Designing with Robert Croghan ...................... 49	
  vii 
 
Hidden Support Structures- Stage Management ..................................................... 51	
Chapter 5:  Synthesis of the Work .............................................................................. 54	
Value in Making Dreams ........................................................................................ 54	
Listening To The Work ........................................................................................... 56	
Appendix ..................................................................................................................... 61	
Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 69	
 
 
 
 
 
  1 
 
Chapter 1: Sensing The Performance 
 
Section ‘Wall Duets.’ Dancers: Colette Krogol, Jonathan Hsu, Robin Neveu Brown, Matthew Reeves 
Photo taken by C. Stanley 
 
Falling Into The Abyss 
 
Drip…drip…drip… 
 
This journey takes place in the Kogod Theatre which functions as a blackbox 
theatre space. Stripped down to the bare maroon-painted brick walls, the space is lit 
with dim, flat and uninspiring white light as the audience enters. A metal loading 
dock garage door along with conduit poles, cable boxes, and thin metal mounting 
grooves mutely accent the walls of the space. The audience can see a dark doorway in 
the far left corner; beside it there is a small puddle of water forming from a drip in the 
ceiling, which is easier heard than seen at the beginning of the show. To the right of 
the doorway a dirty wooden ladder leans against the wall. Close to the audience in the 
  2 
 
house right corner of the space with it’s back wheel set on top of a peculiarly carved 
piece of drift wood rests an old rusty bicycle; an island of intrigue in the middle of a 
sparse and un-majestic setting.  
Without warning the space goes dark. A circle of light falls over the bicycle in 
the darkness and it correlates to the sound of a deep and distorted well drop. “P…ong! 
P…ong! P…ong!” The space flashes with lightning and the sound crackles and 
bellows as a storm of projections takes over the three walls surrounding the space and 
the audience. In a single flash the space goes dark again with only a low rumbling of 
thunder to be heard from underneath the audiences seats. Darkness. Fifteen seconds 
go by and the audience is left to sit in the dark, waiting.  
The wall to house left abruptly cracks apart and a small but intense shaft of 
light enters the space causing the audience to squint as they look across to their left. A 
gentle humming, not quite celestial, accompanies the light leaking into the room. 
Steadily the wall continues to open and the shaft of light grows larger now the size of 
a tall and narrow doorway. Ten seconds go by and the audience is left to sit in the 
light and the hum, waiting.  
A shadow appears, first in blurry silhouette, it is a person walking steadily 
through the light filled passageway. Their feet roll slowly across the floor with a 
sustained energy that is thick but never stops. A solid metal object is resting on their 
shoulder concealing their face from the audience. As they walk in a straight line from 
the doorway towards the bicycle the shadow of the performer provides momentary 
relief as it passes the audiences eyes. Five seconds go by and another person appears 
now walking in line, six paces behind the first. Again a solid metal object rests upon 
  3 
 
their shoulders concealing their face. Six paces more and another performer appears. 
Six paces more another. As the fourth and final person enters the space, the four 
performers stop midstride. Their bodies are profile and the objects in front of their 
faces can now be made out as large tin cans that have been riveted together to form 
larger objects. Each person’s object has a distinct shape like a triangle, bridge, or 
arch, while the overall size of the prop is relatively the same.  
Slowly the four performers reach back with their right hands to hold their cans 
steady as they adjust their bodies to face the audience. As the quartet faces front the 
metal objects are slowly and carefully placed on the floor in unison, revealing the 
performers faces. The audience can now see two women and two men. Their clothes 
are worn faded tones of sand, rust, and olive drab. Once the cans have been placed in 
a row in front of the performers they step back and look out steady towards the 
audience. The man closest to the light emitting doorway fades backward out of the 
light and begins pulling a long chain that drops the metal loading dock door down; 
sealing the audience and the performers into the space; the shaft of light slowly 
disappears sealing the audience and performers into the dark. 
 
And so the journey begins… 
 
This Paper Is Not The Dance 
Movement and writing about movement are not the same thing. This paper 
and the experience of the performance are not equivalent. This opening description of 
the piece seals you the reader, into the document, with me the writer, just as I was 
sealed into the space with the audience during the performance. But our spaces are 
  4 
 
not the same and what I am able to reveal to you is different. Whereas no amount of 
writing will be able to accurately convey the visceral exhausting dynamics of Waking 
Darkness. Waiting Light. (WDWL) this paper offers insights into what the dance was 
about and why it was created. The following section emboldens the description you 
just read of ‘Falling Into The Abyss’ and takes you further through the journey of the 
work. However this time, instead of looking at the performance written from the 
audience’s perspective, images and choreography notes are provided as new seedlings 
to help you grow a picture of the creative process behind the work. 
 
Images & Sections From The Choreographer/ Performer Perspective1 
The purpose of this section is to act as a reference guide allowing the reader 
into the mind space of the choreographers and performers. The section uses the same 
headings as the choreographers referred to during the rehearsal and design process. 
WDWL journeyed through twenty-three sections in total, which were distinct in their 
tone and intention, but to observers seamlessly flowed from one to another. In order 
to efficiently move back and forth through the work during the rehearsal and design 
processes, all collaborators involved used this specific language to speak with each 
other. This section sketches the twenty-three sections using a storyboard type 
approach by including a photo characteristic of the mood/quality of the section, along 
with some written description. An additional attachment is provided in the Appendix 
that shows the actual working spreadsheet we developed to keep choreographers and 
designers digitally on the same page as the work developed. 
                                                
1 This guide was built collaboratively with Colette Krogol. A similar version exists in her paper: Journeying Through Exodus, 
Displacement, And My Cuban American Identity: The Odyssey Of Making And Becoming Waking Darkness. Waiting Light.  
  5 
 
 
Section Reference Guide 
 
Due to the importance of the visual aesthetics, imagery, and lighting used to create Waking 
Darkness. Waiting Light. this guide contains images of the 23  dance sections, in addition to 
choreographic notes and insights.  
 
Quotes in “blue” are selections that came from the dance cinema installation ‘More Than 90 Miles 
From  Home’ that was created in 2015 by Colette Krogol and Matthew Reeves of Orange Grove 
Dance. The performance/installation poetically tells the story of Colette’s maternal families exodus 
from Cuba in 1980 and the reverberations this story has on Colette’s identity. 
 
 The text in blue within this reference guide was written by Colette in the summer and fall of 2015 
and played an instrumental role in the creative process as a whole for WDWL. The key selections 
provided here were specific catalysts that we used to develop the accompanying section as well as 
the overall arc of the performance. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
All photographs in this section are credited to C. Stanley unless otherwise noted. 
  6 
 
1. Establishing Neutral (Preshow) 
A neutral starting point was necessary in order 
to transform the space for the audience and the 
performance. We created a baseline of 
experience that would appear mundane and 
unimpressive. The space needed to feel 
ordinary and almost forgotten. Key props were 
already in the space. 
 
• A ladder left in the space. 
• A can catching water dripping from 
the ceiling.  
• A rusty bike appearing to grow out of 
a stump. This would be more 
interesting but the unshaped lighting 
of the space makes it appear flat and 
ordinary.  
 
 
 
Photos are stills from video by Paul Jackson 
2. Calling Of The Bike 
Like a droplet of water, light drops and circles 
the bicycle. The first pools of movement are 
seen here in the still waters of the mind. This 
leads to a hurricane of clouds, light, and 
movement, tracing and filling the space. This 
idea builds until it is vacuumed out of the 
space in a bright flash of light leaving 
everything black.  
 
The water came crashing in.   
 
 
Photos are stills from video by Geoff Sheil 
  7 
 
3. Falling Into The Abyss 
Setting the tone for what won’t be seen, as 
well as what will be seen. It was very 
important to plunge the audience into 
darkness so that the next moment of light 
would feel intense and blinding. High contrast 
was a specific lighting goal of the piece, and 
just like establishing the neutrality of the 
space during the preshow, it was important to 
set the ranges of dark and light at the 
beginning of the show.  
 
Photo is a still from video by Geoff Sheil 
4. Assembly  
(AKA The Entrance and Emerging From The 
Light.) 
Once the space was dark for a minimum of 15 
seconds, the door was then opened and light 
poured through. This is the first entrance of 
the performers. First Robin, then Jonathan, 
then Colette, and finally Matt (myself). Once 
we all entered and set down our cans, Matt 
went and pulled the chain down on the 
Elephant Door closing it vertically as the 
Sound Door closed horizontally. Sealed into 
the space the performers begin the slow 
assembly phrase to the upstage right corner of 
the space.  
 
Photo is a still from video by Geoff Sheil 
 
5. Kicking Up The Dust 
First Sounds of Ticking. 
Tick…Tick…Tick… 
This is a key moment where performers 
transform the space. Pedestrian movements 
now grow into dynamic dancing.  The dancing 
feels like a conjuring up of the past. The 
movement is repetitive and shifts from side to 
side as the space fills with haze. The hazing of 
the space added particles to the air, which 
makes this once empty space, feel charged 
with energy and possibilities that were not 
apparent before.  
 
6. The Storm 
(AKA Hurricane/Flood) 
This section is derived from Colette’s poetry 
and her story of waking up when a window 
broke in her grandparents’ bedroom during a 
hurricane. We used projections of waves and 
interrupted movement phrases to wash and 
toss our bodies through the space. Water 
washes over the dancers transforming them 
into the “four recurring dreams that awaken” 
the show from sleep.  
  
Photo is a still from video by Geoff Sheil 
  8 
 
7. Ito Reunion (Brothers Pulled Apart) 
ITO Reunion/ Two Generations Of Exiles 
(Matt & Jonathan Duet)  
 
Ito is Colette’s great uncle that went to 
retrieve the family from Cuba during the 
Mariel Boatlift. He was actually left behind 
trying to retrieve family members and had to 
reunite with the family days later. As the can-
lights ominously approached, this section 
started with a Matt solo that evolved into a 
duet. Matt crashes, falls, surrenders, and 
reaches out into the dark. Finally another 
body steps out of the dark and they embrace 
like brothers that haven’t seen each other for 
many years. 
 
This duet’s physical actions represented 
moments of reuniting and being pulled apart. 
It focused on the struggle of holding on and 
moving with and through each other. The 
coats on the dancers become vital in this 
section as they were pulled upon to hold the 
dancers’ weight.  
 
 
 
 
8. Calling Of The Ladder (A Window Home) 
 
"The Ladder is our bridge to the stories that 
we have been told since we were young and 
the places we've still never touched."  
 
 
This is quoted from Colette’s poetry and story. 
Instead of using the word dream, we made the 
ladder the dream that would be our bridge.  
 
 
This image starts in darkness. A single rung of 
the ladder is illuminated calling Colette to 
climb up and touch it. As she touches it a 
memory is released into the space. The ocean 
waves...a woman on the shore.  
 
 
 
 
  9 
 
 
9. Pulling The Sons Of Cuba Home/ Bodies Rolling 
"The beach waits to say goodbye to more of 
her children only to see some wash back 
ashore."  
 
When Colette releases the ladder rung the 
memory/video of the space starts to slowly 
decay. Jonathan and Matt start rolling. Robin 
and Colette start reeling the bodies back 
home. It’s the image of mothers pulling their 
sons’ bodies back home.  
 
 
 
 
10. Wall Duets (The Pressure of Living) 
The pressure of living. 
 
Matt and Jonathan push Colette and Robin 
upward and they walk across the wall and 
back down. Tableaus of longing, love, and 
loss take place as the wall continues to finally 
decay/ dissolve away.  
 
These duets deal with pressure and time. It 
takes pressure to keep Robin and Colette’s 
bodies firmly grounded to the wall. The 
pressure can crush you or you can use it to 
walk up and over the space.  
 
The projections emphasize time. They are 
actually distorted video recordings of the 
dancers performing the duets, which means 
the dancers are dancing with a past version of 
themselves doing the same material. This 
creates a sense of chasing or leading 
memories as the dancers move just out of sync 
with themselves.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  10 
 
11. Calling Of The Bike 2 
The island of the bike calls the performers to 
it. This is a glimpse of the exit and climax 
later to come. Repeating this element gives a 
sense of the performers’ fate.  
 
Performers walking slowly downstage 
towards the bike. A small memory of the final 
quartet affects their progression downstage. 
Slowly they arrive at the cone of light 
surrounding the bike. Just when it seems like 
they might cross into the light, it disappears.  
 
 
12. Searchlight  
"Waiting patiently and impatiently. Waiting 
for the light to pass. Oscuridad. Darkness. 
Now.  
Swimming and Swimming… Leaving the 
shore. Swimming and Swimming…. Leaving 
her behind. Swimming and Swimming.... A fin 
rises up beside him, me. Swimming and 
Swimming side by side with the revolution.  
Nadando y Nadando.  
Swimming and Swimming... If it’s a shark I’m 
dead. If it’s a dolphin it means no sharks. 
Swimming and Swimming… The fin stays with 
me till the end. No sharks tonight except the 
searchlights that pulled me back home. 
Manolo fue capturado y fue a la carcel. 
Manolo fue capturado y fue a la carcel. 
Manolo was captured and sent to prison."  
 
This section starts with a rigorous, driving, 
contained march that the quartet eventually 
breaks out of, and then they are cast into 
survival mode as their bodies flash in the dire 
presence of the searchlights flashing in the 
space.   
 
 
 
  11 
 
13. Calling Of The Ladder 2 (Diving Into The Still Water) 
All rungs of the ladder light up. Colette goes 
behind the ladder. Four rungs remain lit. As 
Colette grabs each rung a body falls into the 
water (back wall projection).  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Colette climbs the ladder again for a final 
rung. This time the ladder rung activates 
projection searchlights emanating from the 
bodies on the ground. Colette climbs down the 
ladder and begins pulling Robin’s body by her 
jacket. Robin and Colette ascend back up the 
ladder.  
 
 
 
 
 
14. Calling Of The Bike 3  
Fate interrupts again. The calling of what is 
to come interrupts this memory and moment of 
reflection. The well drop sound and the circle 
of light call out in the darkness.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo is a still from video by Paul Jackson 
  
  12 
 
15. Waiting… 
"Waiting patiently and impatiently. Waiting 
for the light to pass.” 
 
Waiting is a main theme of WDWL that was 
revealed in different moments. This particular 
section forced performer and audience to wait 
for the light to pass. A light bar slowly 
revealed itself from the ceiling and scanned 
the space at a consistent pace over the course 
of 3 minutes. It was accompanied by the sound 
of a slow ticking watch whose space between 
ticks grew slightly longer over the course of 
the 3 minutes.  
 
Goals here were to make the audience 
wait…so many thoughts and questions can 
arrive in this slowed down space of the mind 
with seemingly so little happening. Robin and 
Colette are eventually revealed holding on to 
each other on the ladder in the dark. Holding. 
Waiting.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Lifted Out Of The Waves. Waves Into The Light. 
Robin and Colette descend the ladder and 
begin a slow migration to stage-right.  
 
Jonathan slowly rises out of the waves and 
collects Matt’s body so they can both stand 
together. Gestures and a walking pattern are 
then performed in unison; recollecting 
moments from Matt’s earlier solo within the 
‘Ito Reunion/ Brothers Pulled Apart’ section 
that was performed in front of the can-lights.  
 
All four dancers slowly make their way into a 
line to the far stage-right wall, each with a 
can-light facing back at them from the wall.  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Photo is a still from video by Geoff Sheil 
  13 
 
17. Assembly 2  
 ”Yo me recuerdo… I remember… 
 Yo me recuerdo… I remember… 
 Yo me recuerdo… I remember… ” 
 
The ticking motif from the beginning of the 
show reemerges.  
 
This section repeats the earlier walking 
phrase from the ‘Assembly’ section at the 
beginning of the show but this time the 
audience is exposed to the material from the 
profile view of the dancers.  Instead of calling 
the audience to come with them, they are 
gesturing solely to the light to come with 
them.  
 
The dancers break their assembled formation 
leaving Colette behind to start the phrase 
material from ‘Kicking Up The Dust,’ this 
time alone.  
 
Matt, Jonathan, and Robin begin removing 
can-lights from the wall and walking 
backwards across the space leaving Colette 
behind.  
 
 
18. Colette Solo/Searchlight Solo 
Colette reprises ‘Kicking Up The Dust’ into a 
series of phrases that were created with 55 
gestures in response to her mother’s 
experience of the 55 years since the Cuban 
Revolution. Jonathan, Robin, and Matt create 
a moving landscape of light with the three 
can-lights. Colette is exposed from different 
angles by the three lights and as she moves 
she is often momentarily cast into darkness.  
 
The final moment finds Colette backlit by 
three can-lights and caught up in intense 
ticking/banging music.  
 
The flashes of the memories are overwhelming 
her. A brief moment of heavy celebration and 
the difficulty of trying to remember while still 
moving to the pulse of life. This is felt in the 
small shifts of hips and salsa rhythms found in 
Colette’s movement.  
 
 
  14 
 
19. He Venido. A Love Letter To Cuba 
Last Love Letter To Cuba. One Story Becomes 
Two.  
 
The words of the song He Venido, performed 
by Los Zafiros, ring true in this moment.  
 
SPANISH 
 He venido a decirte 
que te sigo queriendo. 
He venido a decirte 
que te sigo amando. 
 
ENGLISH 
I have come to tell you. 
That I continue to want you. 
I have come to tell you. 
That I continue to love you.  
 
The slow crashing of Colette’s hands into 
Matt’s head is a moment of taking her story 
and embracing it as his own.  
 
The duet is intimate and is about saying 
goodbye. Goodbye to Cuba. Goodbye to 
“tierra de su patria.” Saying goodbye to the 
only home you have ever known and loved. 
 
Time is used as a challenge within the 
confines of the choreography. Matt and 
Colette perform a sequence of material with 
time to embrace and take care of each other. 
The sequence of dancing is then forced to 
repeat but this time they are forced to perform 
it much faster than appears comfortable, 
which leads to desperate embraces and 
slipping/falling away from each other.  
 
How do you prepare in twenty minutes to 
leave your home forever?  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  15 
 
20. The Divide  
A moment of the great divide; Distancia 
Infinita.  
 
“90 miles separate the Cuban coast from Key 
West. Ninety miles of darkness, hope, waiting, 
and light. In here, those 90 miles could be 
ninety thousand. 
 
 Distancia infinita. 
 
Because that water that is there, separating 
one from the other is something that if you 
touch it, it will break your heart, your 
courage, everything you believe.” 
 
Photo is a still from video by Geoff Sheil 
 
21. 55 Years In 5 Minutes  
Matt rides the bike through 55 years in five 
minutes. This crumbles the world (which is the 
space of the Kogod Theatre) and breaks it. 
Colette, Robin, and Jonathan walk slowly 
from the back to the front of the space.  
 
This is a pinnacle moment of the journey. 
Leaving, and there is no turning back. The 
projection and sound design here 
accumulated media to feel like 55 years had 
culminated in 5 minutes. It feels fast and slow 
simultaneously as the projections spiral 
through a high volume of footage yet the 
dancers walk slowly in the face of this 
footage.  
 
 
 
 
22. The Other Side/ Ladder Duet   
The world is changed and broken. The 
performers must find a way to start everything 
over. The same elements in the room must find 
a new way to be used as their old potential 
and purposes are forever changed. The ladder 
becomes the driving force of this section as it 
supports and divides the dancers in the center 
of the space rather than being propped 
against the wall.  
 
The ladder serves as a shelter, a restraint, a 
vehicle, a frame, and a foundation.  
 
  16 
 
23. Distancia Infinita 
Carrying what you can.  
Remembering the island.  
 
A diagonal quartet takes place, performing 
phrases referred to as the ‘Exodus Phrases.’ 
This moment was alluded to early in the show 
at the first calling of the bike, but now it is 
happening in its full effect.  
 
 "And with that my family watched the 
twinkling lights of Cuba fade away in the 
distance. Only left with each other, the 
darkness of the night, and the few twinkling 
stars reflecting off the water.” 
 
What are the things we carry? 
Something is lost. Something is left behind. 
 
 
 
 
 
  17 
 
Chapter 2: My Research as an Artist 
Artist Statement 
As an artist, dancer, choreographer and filmmaker, I believe in the power of 
the human body to inform our shared experience and understanding of life. In dance 
there are no definite terms, only the common voice of the human body. My hopes and 
aspirations for my work exist here. The shared experience of the body anchors my 
work deeply back to the communities in which I create, and dance reflects the 
extraordinary nature of what seems ordinary. Dance has the ability to transcend and 
reframe reality, to enlighten our minds to what is lurking behind what we can see, 
read, or say on the surface. The metaphors that exist inside the human body run along 
our deepest plains of consciousness and reveal overpowering experiences often left 
behind in a modern temporal world. It is here, at the precipice of these transcended 
realities experienced inside the body that I look to take my creative process forward 
into the unknown and places lost. This deeply rooted approach of letting corporeal 
imagery lead my dance explorations is what allows my work to spill outside the 
confines of a stage space and back into the bodies of my audience. 
My work appears as dreamlike images that are ripe with athletic visual 
experiences in which fiction and reality operate synchronously. By applying 
abstraction to the everyday, I create intense personal moments that feel altogether 
familiar and foreign at the same time. Nuanced gesture, velocity, abandonment, and 
task-based work inform my choreography allowing me to break the limitations of my 
own body structure. Partnering and Contact Improvisation techniques create intimate 
images of relationship. Dance is my philosophy. It is the way I can assimilate 
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meaning in existence and it is also the way I can share this meaning with the 
communities in which I live. I am able to use my process as a quest to understand 
existence. 
 
 
Mythology And My Work 
 
 As a contemporary choreographer living in the United States, I have for the 
past four years begun to explore the field of comparative mythology through the work 
of preeminent scholar and founder of the subject, Joseph Campbell. This work began 
instinctively with an intuitive interest in general mythology after conducting dance 
residencies abroad in the countries of Iceland and Finland (2012). As an artist I have 
always been determined to create art that reflects content of genuine significance to 
the audience for whom it is made. Opportunities to create work in communities 
outside of my own country pushed me to explore different ways to connect with 
audiences and construct dances. In my search to better understand the new 
communities in which I was interacting, I began to peruse their folklore and 
mythology. Specifically I began reading interpretations of The Kalevala from Finland 
and Norse Mythology from Iceland. It was during this time that I became profoundly 
interested in the symbolic and metaphoric content of mythology and what 
resemblances I could see within art and especially dance.  
 As the spark of mythology grew within me I somewhat naturally stumbled 
upon the work of Joseph Campbell, particularly Myths To Live By (1972). Within my 
next choreographic pursuit, which would be a dance film derived from Greek 
mythological archetypes (titled, THE ARCHETYPES, 2016), I began to investigate 
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Campbell’s concept of the Monomyth (one story) and how the understanding of 
metaphor deeply affects how life is lived. The following sections of this paper outline 
the influence of mythology and Joseph Campbell on the pursuit of my research and 
will give important context related to my journey to investigate the influence of 
dream and mythology on my choreographic process.   
 
Metaphoric Misunderstandings 
The past century has seen a tremendous shift due to technological and 
intellectual revolutions that have not only changed the world functionally but have 
also altered the spiritual fabric of human experience. Whereas human life once 
revolved around a primal connection to nature, it now, at least for industrial societies, 
revolves more closely around the Internet connection to a computer. As technology 
continues to develop exponentially beyond our own comprehension, it seems 
reasonable to conclude that it may be necessary to develop equally innovative 
methods for accessing our evolving metaphysical experiences as well. But how does 
one do this exactly, and how might the fields of dance, dream study, and mythology 
play a role in this? 
The place of mythology in modern society is a contentious subject among 
academics and neophytes alike. The first problem in the development and 
understanding of our own transcendental realities, amidst the growing technological 
jungle of the world, is due in large part to a now common inability to decipher the 
symbols and metaphors used to convey mythic truths.  Joseph Campbell spoke to this 
problem in his book, Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor (2001). Here 
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Campbell reflects on the sharp division between modern day believers and atheists:  
“It made me reflect that half the people in the world think that the metaphors of their 
religious traditions, for example, are facts. And the other half contends that they are 
not facts at all. As a result we have people who consider themselves believers because 
they accept metaphors as facts, and we have others who classify themselves as 
atheists because they think religious metaphors are lies” (Campbell and Kennedy, 2). 
It is my belief that this collective misunderstanding of metaphor stands in the 
way of modern spiritual development and therefore requires a new approach unbound 
by the conventions of previously employed methods.  
As an artist and choreographer I believe strongly that dance is an effective 
vehicle for accessing the lost allegories of mythic traditions past and present. Dance 
works powerfully and synergistically with visual symbolism. One does not have to 
read something literally to process its’ meaning, but must reflect viscerally and 
psychically to gain meaning from what is seen in the dancers body. In an important 
sense, dance forces audiences to take on their own private sense of allegory; they 
must tune into the abstract part of their brains that can derive meaning from non-
literal, energetic, and intuitive signals.  
 
Similar Issues In Dance 
 This problem of metaphoric confusion marks a critical issue that I believe 
extends beyond the field of mythology and directly into the field of contemporary 
dance. As mentioned before, dance can be a powerful tool for confronting the literal 
mind’s assumptions, but it also must confront the same issue itself with audiences 
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who may take contemporary dances’ form strictly from a literal point of view.  The 
ways in which to interpret modern and contemporary dance are as numerous and 
varied as the number of people who actually make and see the dances. While one 
audience member may find a dance sparse, abstract, and difficult to connect with, 
another may be enthusiastically involved in the same dance’s delicately suspended 
sense of time and reality. This variation in interpretation is intriguing and for the artist 
and audience alike because the focus is not based on right or wrong interpretations 
but on the individual experiences of each audience member and performer. Yet, why 
do some performances connect more deeply with an audience or performer than 
others? What are new ways to address this conversation in dance? What are the 
subconscious influences of these dance interpretations? 
 
Dream: The Common Root (My New Question) 
 Intuitively I believe there are profound connections between the fields of 
dance and mythology but in order to confirm my intuitions I will need to identify a 
common denominator, a foundation by which to build my inquisition of this theory. 
This is where the study of dreams and dream interpretation has made its way into my 
research. American philosopher Susanne K. Langer, speaks to myths’ origins in her 
book, Philosophy In A New Key: A Study In The Symbolism of Reason, Rite, And Art 
(1976). “Myth begins in fantasy, which may remain tacit for a long time; for the 
primary form of fantasy is the entirely subjective and private phenomenon of dream” 
(Langer 171). She goes on to further explain that story and myths are made of more 
than just a literal significance and that “it is made essentially from dream-material” 
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(Langer 171). Similarly Joseph Campbell also identifies a deep connection and 
foundation of dream in myth: “Myths are public dreams; dreams are private myths. 
By finding your own dream and following it through, it will lead you to the myth-
world in which you live. But just as in dream, the subject and object, though they 
seem to be separate, are really the same” (“The Letter ‘U’: Dream Consciousness,” 
Track 12, 00:00:58-00:01:22). 
And so as “dream-material” is identified as a root of myth, can the same be 
identified for dance? In order to delimit this question, as the roots of dance will have 
many different theories and sources, I will contain my work in this study by speaking 
about dance from my choreographic perspective.   
The active imagination required of me as a choreographer highly reflects the 
manner by which dreams are defined. A common definition of dream is “Dreams are 
successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the 
mind during certain stages of sleep” (Wikipedia, “Dream” December 16, 2014 ). As a 
choreographer I build my art based off of the successions of images, ideas, emotion 
and sensations that run through my mind and body during the choreographic process. 
This has made me start to question lately if what I make as an artist is really dance or 
if I'm trying to make dreams instead and dance is merely my lens by which to do so. 
  
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Chapter 3: Origins of the Work 
 
Inspiration photo found and used during the proposal phases of WDWL 
Photo Credit: Web Link / accessed October 2016 
 
“One thing that comes out in myths, for example, is that at the bottom of the 
abyss comes the voice of salvation. The black moment is the moment when the real 
message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light” 
(Campbell, “The Power of Myth” 39). 
 
Myths Of Darkness And Nothing 
At the beginning of my choreographic process I was physically and 
imaginatively interested in the choreographic play of darkness before light. I was 
curious about this moment Campbell describes above, the “black moment,” where the 
real message of transformation comes. To craft this idea initially for WDWL I 
planned on using physical darkness to lead the way into the experience of this 
metaphorical darkness. However I did not end up turning off any physical lights to 
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achieve this goal. Ultimately this process of looking into darkness resulted in taking 
time to close my eyes, clear my mind, and listen to the images that might arise from 
the darkness of my mind. I think of this practice as somewhere between conscious 
thought and dreaming. It was a balance of emptying the mind; letting the mind go, 
and listening to what images surfaced in the darkness of that space. This was highly 
inspired by reading Joseph Campbell’s book, Myths of Light (2012), and his telling of 
the ‘This am I’ myth from the Hindu Upanishads.  
 
“So, in the beginning that was no beginning, there was nothing but the Self. 
And the Self at a moment that was no moment said “I. Aham. Ego.” And as soon as it 
thought “I,” it experienced fear. Then it reasoned, though it wasn’t very complicated 
reasoning – this was the very first attempt of reasoning at all– “Since there is nothing 
else in the world, what do I have to be afraid of?” That eliminated the fear.  
 Of course, no sooner was the fear eliminated than it had desire: “I wish there 
were another.” Well, in that state of being, a wish is as good as a fact. The Self 
swelled and split in half, and voila– there were two. Each united with the other and 
produced something” (Campbell, ‘Myths of Light’ 9).  
 
In this myth I am captivated as something comes from nothing. This is what 
closing my eyes and clearing my mind was meant to do, it was meant to allow 
something to develop from nothing. Visually I didn’t want to premeditate how this 
work would ultimately appear, I was truly interested in the process of listening to 
images that would arise from looking into the “black moments” as described by 
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Campbell. I was interested in this “beginning that was no beginning” and “the 
moment that was no moment.”  
 
The first image that sunk in from this process of closing my eyes indeed was 
this idea of one splitting into two. I felt magnetized to this image of the Self splitting 
into two and indeed this image resonates with many other myths and religious 
traditions as well, often times manifesting in our sense of the term soulmates. This 
idea also connected to me on various levels as a choreographer. I have always 
gravitated toward partnering in dance. I love the complexities of lifting, sharing 
weight, and ultimately going through a physical experience with someone that is 
powerfully interdependent. I could also envision in my mind that light and shadow 
might be useful instruments for revealing this image. I could see a shadowy figure 
with light emanating from behind. As they bowed and moved their body a second 
figure would emerge out of the silhouette of the first. 
In addition to this first image, I continued to close my eyes and look into the 
darkness.  I am providing visuals from my thesis proposal written in December 2015 
that were also initial seeds that I looked to carry out of the darkness of my mind and 
into the rehearsal studio. It is important for me to acknowledge that I didn’t have a 
rational thought out reason for incorporating these ideas, yet these images are not 
random. They came from the realms of intuition and dream. I knew these images 
were calling to me but just like with a dream I couldn’t decipher what they meant yet.  
 
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The above design plate shows inspiration images and specifications I submitted for my original proposal. 
 
 
 
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Searching For Myths 
 
Experimenting with lights and projection during the Kogod Theatre Summer Residency. 
Photo Credit: Colette Krogol  
 
 
Imagine lying down in a vast and empty space with no light. 
A solitary and dark abyss. 
This is the beginning. 
There is no shape or form. 
There is no duality of experience. 
No “this” or “that.” 
No good or bad. 
Only darkness. 
This is the moment before… 
the moment. 
What ever may be supporting this plane of existence is invisible. 
And it is this invisible plane of being that is supporting the visible plane of our being.2 
                                                
2 I wrote this poem at the beginning of the thesis process (2015) in an attempt to direct my creative intentions. 
 
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During this process I was looking for myths of transformation that I could 
lean into as material for developing the choreography. However I was not sure what 
or how to do this, and I was having trouble seeing how this information would coexist 
with Colette’s personal family stories of their exodus from Cuba in which she was so 
deeply invested.  
I utilized a range of approaches in terms of research for WDWL including 
reading selected works of Joseph Campbell, individual studio time to move on my 
own, Contact Improvisation with Colette for movement discovery and invention, as 
well as time spent with collaborators experimenting with the elements of light and 
dark. The first few months of the project saw the germination of my thesis concept 
isolated from Colette’s thesis concept. We both were trying to give each other space 
to investigate and dream up our ideas. This was at times difficult as the production 
process started to unfold and we needed to present a unified vision of concepts to 
designers. The one anchor that we both were able to dream about together was the 
space of the performance, the Kogod Theatre. We agreed the space should be raw and 
exposed; not dressed up like a theatre space to hide entrances and exits. Making the 
space devoid of obvious theatrical elements such as curtains, wings, and a proscenium 
was important and envisioning the bare walls of the Kogod Theatre inspired how we 
would envision the dance elements we wanted to bring together.   
Rehearsals during the first four months of this process saw Colette looking for 
the dance that would speak to the journey of her maternal family’s exodus from Cuba 
to the U.S., as well as tapping into the complex emotions of how her family has been 
waiting 55 years for change in Cuba. I was looking for ways to create mythic images 
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through dancing that would transform who I am. I was however a bit lost as to how 
this could be done. My biggest questions were: 
 
o How would this dance come into being? 
o What burden would it carry and how would it transform the performers? 
 
A big breakthrough came during a two-week summer intensive we spent 
rehearsing in the Kogod Theatre alongside our designers. Being inside the actual 
place were the performance would take place was very important. It is the equivalent 
of being in the correct mind space to find the subconscious images I was looking for 
and I believe this opportunity to rehearse in the Theatre prior to technical rehearsals 
was critical to the success of the concert.  
During the residency I had been reading Joseph Campbell’s books Myths of 
Light and The Power of Myth, looking and waiting for moments of inspiration to 
occur. I think in fact I was looking for one myth or metaphor that would magically 
unfold the whole show for me, but Campbell’s breadth of explanation and his style of 
constantly comparing stories and myths from around the world made it impossible to 
grab a hold of just one idea. I instead had many ideas in my head all the time, which 
really meant I had no specific idea.  At best the Greek myths of Atlas and Sisyphus 
were often vibrating in the back of my mind (perhaps because I was feeling the 
burden of creating a new work). I felt compelled to create movement and duets that 
revolved around the feeling of a great burden on someone’s shoulders. This was a 
compelling idea but it only took me so far in terms of choreographing the entire show 
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and I was not clear how this idea would relate to Colette’s personal research and 
ideas.  
Then in a “moment that was no moment,” Colette and I started experimenting 
with the poetry she had written for a past research film installation performance we 
had created titled: More Than 90 Miles From Home (2015). This poetry was Colette’s 
first attempt at investigating her family’s personal journey from Cuba and the deep 
connection she had to these stories.  At first we thought maybe Colette reading the 
poems in Spanish might be part of the sound score but as we worked more and more 
with the text and the movement of the piece I had a true epiphany. Colette’s poetry 
about her family's journey from Cuba was the mythology I had been looking for! I 
could see so many moments of the story and how they corresponded to powerful 
mythic images. There was an exodus, a journey, a transformation, and burdens were 
being carried. It became apparent to me the more I explored this personal story of 
Colette’s family, the more I would discover the mythic images I had been looking to 
create. The shift now was to take the story of Colette’s family and break it down into 
its inherent mythic images.  
In order to gain a clearer understanding of what I mean, the next chapter on 
my creative process will break down the meaning we derived as I connected one 
family’s story to larger themes of humanity; transforming personal story to myth and 
finding the metaphors in Colette’s memories and family history.  
  
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Chapter 4: The Process of Creation 
 
Colette Krogol and Matt Reeves fall apart during the He Venido section of Waking Darkness. Waiting Light. 
Photo Credit: C. Stanley  
 
 
“Myths do not belong, properly, to the rational mind. Rather, they bubble up from 
deep in the wells of what Carl Jung called the collective unconscious” (Campbell, 
‘Myths of Light’ xvii.) I see dance this same way. I believe dance also bubbles up 
from the collective unconscious. 
 
Story To Myth Via The Dance 
The process of creation became essentially this: 
o Colette used memories and stories of her family’s exodus from Cuba to create 
a series of poems.  
o I interpreted these poems for their mythic images and qualities.  
o These images and qualities became the basis by which the movement and 
journey of the show was based. 
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It is important to note that converting the stories to poetry and treating them as 
such was vital. Poetry is the language of mythology. It is poetry not prose that makes 
up the metaphoric nature of dance and myth. It is also what allowed this personal 
story to become more than just sentimental to Colette. Poetic language was the key 
for getting to the transformative and transcendent material that I wanted this dance to 
possess. Joseph Campbell speaks to why this is important in an interview with Bill 
Moyers transcribed in The Power of Myth (1988). 
 
“The reference of the metaphor in religious traditions is to something transcendent 
that is not literally any thing. If you think that the metaphor is itself the reference, it 
would be like going to a restaurant, asking for the menu, seeing beefsteak written 
there, and starting to eat the menu”(Campbell, ‘The Power of Myth’ 56). 
 
The process we created of abstracting and poeticizing the reality of Colette’s 
story was the means by which we could begin to find the “beefsteak” to which 
Campbell is referring. Again however, please keep in mind, the poem and even the 
dancing, are not the “beefsteaks” themselves. They are the metaphors that point us 
into these transcendent ideas. For example, the beginning that is no beginning, the 
moment that is no moment, the sound of one hand clapping.  
Another important factor in transforming this material was the use of 
repetition as movement was made in the studio using this process. Repetition 
transforms material. By working on a movement, lift, or phrase hundreds of times it 
starts to become something different and new. The material in my opinion actually 
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becomes what it is and this use of repetition was essential in terms of letting our 
mythic dance explorations become themselves.  
To provide an example of this story to myth transformation, I have chosen 
four poetic phrases written by Colette depicting her memories. These selections came 
from a larger story and poem that Colette and I collaborated on during past research 
for the dance cinema installation of More Than 90 Miles From Home. For clarity 
Colette’s words are written in blue italics and single-spaced. Following each 
selection, I write my thoughts and interpretations of the poems as seen from the lens 
of myth.  
 
Waking Darkness. Falling Into The Abyss. The Call To Adventure. 
 
I have had four recurring dreams since it tore through my home awakening me from my sleep. 
Not necessarily nightmares but dreams, vivid ones.  
I can always find the taste in my mouth and the smell in my lungs for hours afterwards. 
Everyday I wait. Patiently and impatiently…   
These dreams are my bridge to the stories that I have been told since I was young and the places I've 
still never touched. 
I had just turned seven when it happened.  
That night I laid in my grandparents’ bed, while the adults were all in the garage trying to figure out 
how they could keep the door from flying off.  
It had already been twelve years since my family had come by boat from Cuba.  
Many of our new possessions, especially my grandfathers, were kept in that garage.  
As they reinforced the door with some old wooden planks, the large window beside me shattered.  
I jumped up startled. I sat there silently watching the water pour in. 
 
This personal story serves as a bridge for its audience to find itself inside the 
story. Awakening from sleep is the metaphor of the waking consciousness. Joseph 
Campbell might also refer to this as ‘The Call to Adventure.’ Here Colette’s story 
begins in a situation grounded in reality; a vivid moment from her childhood now 
calls to her as an adult. Using the images of dreams, Colette is able to relay that some 
special information is being received which now acts as a calling for her to head off 
into the unknown.  
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The Goddess- Tierra De Su Patria (The Land Of Colette’s Mother, Mother Cuba) 
 
 
The beach waits to say goodbye to more of her children only to see some wash back ashore.   
 
 
The beach here is Cuba, and she is referred to as the mother. This mother that 
has given birth to the children of Cuba is the same mother that must hold the bodies 
of her children that have passed away. This inspired one of the most important images 
of the show for me, of Colette and Robin dragging the bodies of Jonathan and myself 
across the space. The weight of the movement was heavy and waterlogged. This was 
an important moment to reflect the weight of this image which was essentially a 
mother pulling in the heavy dead bodies of her children. This image rings loud in the 
world of mythology. The Pieta is a prime example in Christianity. The Gaia myth of 
Greek mythology epitomizes the great mother that gave birth to the world and saw 
many of her children killed in the great primordial battles. The image of the Goddess 
Kali in India holds death in one hand and life in the other, another symbol of mother 
earth as the creator and destroyer.  
 
The Impossible Task 
 
How do you prepare in twenty minutes to leave your home forever? 
What do you hold one last time, when you can’t take anything with you? 
 
The impossible task represents the challenges mythic characters must face. 
For me this ties back into the idea of burden. It is Atlas holding the weight of the sky 
on his shoulders. It is Sisyphus forever doomed to push the boulder up the hill. It is a 
moment of weight and gravity. With so little time at hand, time seems to stand still in 
this moment. This is also in line with Campbell’s, “The Hero’s Journey,” which 
depicts a phase of crossing the ‘threshold’ into the unknown and accepting the 
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journey before you. Here Colette’s family faces a great unknown and makes the 
heavy decision that has so much gravity to it, time seems to stand still.  
 
 
The Moment of Transformation (The Darkest Moment)  
 
And with that my family watched the lights of Cuba fade away in the distance. 
Only left with each other, la oscuridad of the night, and the few stars reflecting off the water. 
 
The story of Colette’s family leaves us on a boat in the dark with water as far 
as the eye can see in all directions. This is a key moment of transformation. Lives will 
never be the same. They are leaving one shore for another distant shore. There is 
poetry to this reality. This is the same poetry of myth that is born from the 
revelations, stories, and experiences of our ancestors and our collective unconscious. 
This story acts as a new genesis story for Colette’s family and their new lives in the 
United States. In this darkness they are formed anew and must reflect on the waters 
they are traversing across.  
This is the Exodus of the Bible and the wandering of the desert. It is being 
cast out of ones homeland just as Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden. It is the 
Odyssey, a great journey into the unknown. It is the death of an old life and the birth 
of a new. This transformation of Colette’s family is symbolic of the great 
transformations we must all go through that change our lives. At some point in our 
lives we all must cast out into the dark waters leaving everything we know behind, 
hoping that there is another shore waiting for us at the end of this journey.  
 
 
 
 
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Collaboration On A Mythic Journey  
 
Colette Krogol and Matt Reeves in a moment of ‘Distancia Infinita’ during Waking Darkness. Waiting Light. 
Photo Credit: Still Image from Video Geoff Sheil  
 
 To say this work was collaboratively ambitious from the start would be an 
understatement. Aside from the ongoing collaboration of creating the work alongside 
Colette from our two different departure points, this project engaged two exceptional 
professional dancers and a host of talented artist/designers.  This section outlines the 
collaborative process experienced with our collaborators while building the dance, 
sound, projection, lighting, costuming, and carpentry of the work. I also explain the 
quiet but instrumental contributions of stage management in making this complex 
collaborative process possible.  
Fundamentally Colette and I have found through past experiences that in order 
to have a successful collaboration we need to spend significant time with our 
designers, just as we do with our dancers in the studio. In fact it is important to us that 
we treat the design elements we are working with as if they are dancers themselves 
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essential to the outcome of the work. This puts heavy demands on our designers but 
the reward is design that has not been pasted on top of our concepts but design that 
dances together with our choreography. I feel fortunate that we had a team of 
designers that were interested in working this way and rose to all the idiosyncratic 
challenges of the work. Below are accounts of the process with each designer or team 
of collaborators.  
 
The Journey with Robin and Jonathan (Dancers) 
 
 
Jonathan Hsu holds up Robin Neveu Brown on the ladder during ‘The Other Side/Ladder Duet’ section of WDWL. 
Photo Credit: C. Stanley  
 
My process of choreographing and art making is at its best when I can be 
deeply personal, raw, and often times vulnerable. The practice I have in the studio 
with dancers is often times trying out ideas I’m personally curious about but don’t 
know if they will work. It can be very exciting one moment and can completely 
  38 
 
defeat you the next. This is often exacerbated by the toll that dancing a complicated 
idea with your body can take. It can feel like a lot of work for nothing if the idea does 
not work out. This is a key reason why having the right bodies and minds in the room 
to support my work, is so essential.  
Both Robin Neveu Brown and Jonathan Hsu are of the highest caliber of 
professional dancers. They are both technically trained in modern dance but also have 
experience in multiple forms of dance technique, which makes them incredibly 
adaptable to any choreographic idea.  They are also very close friends and 
collaborators from past projects. They are both people I can trust. This is a big word, 
trust, and it is a crucial factor inside of my work. This may come from the way 
Colette and I have built trust in our dancing together over the years.  
Trust is tested over and over in our work and I don’t mean this 
metaphorically, although that is true as well. The choreography requires dancers to 
literally catch, hold, and carry each other. The stakes are real in that if mistakes are 
made people can be seriously hurt. Robin and Jonathan are the kind of dancers and 
people I can trust to engage in this kind of work, and I feel fortunate that they trust 
my choreography enough to engage in it so fully. The dancing in this piece developed 
because both Robin and Jonathan brought incredible physical skills, intuition, and 
feedback to the process.  
Aside from the collective joy of collaborating with Robin and Jonathan, each 
of them brought a unique skillset to the work. Robin is a longtime friend for over a 
decade and we received similar training at our undergrad The University of Florida. 
She brings with her to the studio a wealth of professional experience, expertise as an 
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MFA dance graduate (in the same UMD program), a certified Laban movement 
analyst (CMA), and a newly initiated member into motherhood. One of Robin’s 
greatest contributions to the process of making this work was her ability to clarify and 
carve out the language of our movement ideas as we created them. She is a patient 
listener and her lens as a CMA and choreographer herself allowed us to develop 
colliding choreographic ideas between Colette and myself. I would even dare say 
Robin was someone we could also lean on to mediate ideas between the two of us that 
we both felt passionately about.  
Jonathan always brings energy to the process and embraces physical 
challenges set forth for him as a dancer. I love this about Jonathan and it echoes many 
of my own desires as a dancer to perform athletically challenging movement. His 
background in martial arts, hip-hop, and modern dance give him a unique dynamic 
range of possibilities as a mover. I’m reminded that so many things in this piece were 
ideas that we could not do right away; they were too physically tough. This has 
illuminated for me as a choreographer that I’m interested in the physical ideas that I 
can’t do now but will be able to do eventually.  
One exciting breakthrough during the process of creating WDWL was the 
company's commitment to the repetitions it would take to transform a physical idea. 
Time and weight were the biggest contributing factors in building the choreography. 
This is something Colette and I have always naturally used in our past works but now 
we were focused in intently on these two factors. This happened in a few layers. The 
first was with improvisational explorations. We had Robin and Jonathan warm up 
doing Contact Improvisation in many of our early rehearsals. Time and weight 
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naturally create transformation and Contact Improvisation is a method of moving that 
focuses on these elements. The weight of each dancers body is shared, lifted, rolled, 
or slid across the others. Timing of this weight sharing is crucial in order for a lift or 
lean to take place. Some moments need time to settle and develop while others 
require quick reflexes to handle a shifting weight pattern. Additionally the time spent 
sharing weight with another person takes energy and as bodies warm up and then 
become fatigued the dance naturally transforms; often becoming either more difficult 
or more efficient depending on how a dancer’s body can adjust.  
This time in rehearsal was given so the dancers could connect to each other 
and the idea of sharing weight with each other before they started working on other 
complicated partnering ideas. I quickly noticed the movement patterns that came out 
of their improvisations were not only beautiful but also felt connected to this idea I 
had of discovering the transformative dance in the ‘dark.’ The not-knowing of 
improvisation is connected to the subconscious realms of our being while the creation 
of the movement spontaneously connected to the image of The Self and the form of 
The Self splitting into two. This felt like the right way to bring in an unconscious 
layer of information I was looking for in the piece.  
The second layer of this process is where the repetitions became more heavily 
involved. By using video tapes of these improvisations I would collaborate with 
Colette to find moments that caught our attention and then we would ask Robin and 
Jonathan to learn these moments and string them together into one continuous piece 
of choreography. This took a great deal of effort, as it is a very difficult task of 
relearning something you do lifting a partner spontaneously in the moment. Practice 
  41 
 
of these moments took place over and over as we searched back into the darkness and 
tried to understand how the subconscious activities of our bodies had achieved these 
moments. We practiced over and over. And slowly over time, over hours, over weeks, 
over months, the material transformed and became like second nature to Robin and 
Jonathan.  
For a brief period of time the material got cut, as we were not sure if it was 
necessary for the show. However we kept going back to it and it kept transforming 
the more we looked at it and the more it was rehearsed. Both Jonathan and Robin’s 
bodies changed over time and they gradually became capable of dancing movements 
and lifts that once seemed impossible. This duet is now iconic to the work and it is 
impossible to imagine WDWL without it. This taught me that in the choreographic 
process there is value in going back to movement over and over because you never 
know what you will find there, and there is a magic to how repetition can transform 
human bodies. Just as a slow drip of water can eventually carve its way through a 
stone, repetition changes movement and the body.   
  42 
 
Diving for Projections -Designing with Mark Costello 
 
Colette Krogol pulls up Robin Neveu Brown on the ladder during ‘Calling Of The Ladder 2’ section of WDWL. 
Photo Credit: C. Stanley  
 
I knew from the beginning that projection design would be perhaps the most 
crucial design element that I wanted to work with for this project. This involved a 
considerable amount of time spent working alongside designer Mark Costello both in 
and out of the studio. What I like about projection design is its ability to transform the 
way people see space, or an object. Since projection design is not an actual thing like 
a piece of scenery or a set, it pushes the minds of the audience, performers, and 
creators back into an inherently metaphorical realm as opposed to a literal realm. 
Projection design is effective at illuminating space and transforming space into 
windows of thought. So rather than build a set, I wanted to lean on projection design 
to build multiple images of the space. Ultimately this allowed us to continually 
transform the space over the course of the show.  
  43 
 
The design collaboration with Mark started very broadly with general ideas of 
what the space should do. Colette and I wanted an interactive space between the 
performers and the projection imagery. We put out the idea to Mark that the space 
should feel like it is listening and responding to the content of the performance. 
However early on, what a space listening would look like, we did not know and we 
didn’t want to dictate to Mark. It was important that we leave time to discover this 
idea and hopefully discover it in the space. It was incredibly fortunate that we were 
able to arrange a two-week intensive in the Kogod theatre over the summer to test out 
the possibilities of this idea. We were essentially able to use the form of the space to 
help us discover and dictate what the content might be; this is also our preference for 
creating choreography.  
 
Lights in the Dark -Designing with Connor Dreibelbis 
 
Matt Reeves reaches for a wireless can-light during ‘Assembly 2’ section of Waking Darkness. Waiting Light. 
Photo Credit: C. Stanley  
  44 
 
 
Lighting or the lack thereof was everything. The title of WDWL implies so 
much already for an audience. Lighting would function as if it was our scenic design. 
I was curious how we could build a world out of light. I identified early on that the 
lighting of the space and the projection of the space needed to dance well together 
especially since both of these design elements manipulate light to achieve their goals. 
We didn’t want the audience to be thinking about lighting and projection as separate 
elements; the space needed to feel like a living and breathing organism that could 
naturally produce all these shapes, spaces, memories, and moments.  
One of the key methods of blending the audiences’ perspective with light and 
projection was the use of the wireless can-lights. The wireless can-lights that were 
used in the piece by the performers on stage could magically turn off and on at the 
stage manager’s discretion. This method of bringing their light in and out during the 
show echoes the presence of the projectors and their ability to magically bring 
imagery in and out of the space. The second key method of blending these design 
elements was the use of projection as a light source. The projection mapping of the 
rungs of the ladder and the spotlights within the section of ‘Calling of The Ladder 2’ 
(AKA Bodies Crashing) mimicked lighting effects seen in the space. These were 
moments where light and projection became indistinguishable.  
  45 
 
 
Projection as light in ‘Calling of 
the Ladder’ section. 
 
 
Key moment of projection imitating light in ‘Calling of The Ladder 2’ section. 
Still shot from Saturday matinee video by Paul Jackson  
Projection light naturally contains whiter and bluer tones. This allowed us to 
explore using single source lighting ideas that would warm the space and the dancers 
bodies with lovely orange incandescent glows. This also gave WDWL another 
essence of how time could be felt. Video light often dealt with the past, memories, or 
the foreboding nature of what was to come. The warm light that Dreibelbis created 
for the work was used to feature the performers who were living in the here and now; 
it brought critical moments in the performance into the present.  
 
  46 
 
  
Two moments from the Section ‘He Venido’ featuring the warm single source design of Dreibelbis 
Photo Credit: C. Stanley  
 
 
A moment featuring the warm single source light contrasted against the cool blue hue of the projector light. 
Photo Credit: C. Stanley  
 
 
  47 
 
Sounds of Light and Dark- Designing with Jeff Dorfman & Dylan Glatthorn 
 
‘Searchlight’ section, with dancers Jonathan, Robin, and Matt seen here impacted by the bone jarring sound score. 
Photo Credit: C. Stanley  
 
The collaboration of sound and music during the creation of WDWL was the 
result of the extraordinary work of two composers Jeffrey Dorfman and Dylan 
Glatthorn. This collaboration stretched all the way between Virginia where Jeff lives, 
and New York City where Dylan lives. Via Skype and the busing of Dylan down 
from New York for two intensive rehearsal weekends, the sound score for WDWL 
was made over considerable distance. I like to think this was a subconscious element 
that contributed to the beautiful sense of distance and time that WDWL held.  
We had worked with both composers before and knew the strength of their 
work individually, but we weren’t sure about how they would feel collaborating 
together. Fortunately they were quite dynamic together as a team and the access to 
two brilliant musical minds allowed for the collaboration to explore additional styles 
  48 
 
and directions than the usual process of one composer. The success found in the 
making of the sound was highly influenced by both composers being in the rehearsal 
space and creating music while watching dancers work through material. This would 
in turn produce small segments of musical ideas that we would dance to see how the 
sound was then influencing the dance.  
One of Dylan’s greatest contributions was a piece of music he titled: The 
Bright. This was influenced by conversations about the heavy, dark and weighted 
nature of many of the themes being brought into rehearsal and that we needed to also 
find the hope and light of moments as well. Here Dylan developed a seemingly 
simple but beautiful chord progression that really dropped in ‘light’ to our rehearsal 
process. This music became the key catalyst for how the ‘The Other Side/Ladder 
Duet’ section came together.  
Jeff contributed so much to this work, but one of my favorite contributions, 
was his willingness to make silence something we could feature in the work as well. 
Silence and sound were equally precious to Jeff and I love the attention to detail he 
had when building silence and the moments right before the sound would pull out. 
This is identified best for me during the ‘Waiting…’ section. Slow hard-edged ticks 
fill the space but the silence in between lasts longer than the click itself. The hard 
sharp nature of the clicks Jeff selected, emphasized the silence in between. Jeff also 
ever so slightly broke the ticks apart by milliseconds so that the audience can’t 
consciously recognize the feeling that time is slowing down.  
 
  49 
 
Costumes Washed In The Waves- Designing with Robert Croghan 
  
The section ‘Kicking up the Dust’ featuring the costume design of Robert Croghan 
Photo Credit: C. Stanley  
 
Roberts Croghan’s work in terms of developing costuming was brilliantly 
subtle and literally about layers. I have to admit costumes may have been the area I 
was least sure of at the onset of this project. I had no doubt in Robert’s ability, nor the 
costume shop’s ability to make extraordinary garments. But as much as I closed my 
eyes and listened for it, I had no sense of direction that came to mind. I prefer 
costumes that have a pedestrian sensibility and that emphasize the people as people. 
But other than these preferences I didn’t naturally have a sense of how costume 
would work in this light and dark world of transformation and what role it would 
play. Robert really listened and adapted to our ideas as they continued to develop 
over the course of the rehearsal process and he also allowed for us to experiment with 
ideas leading up to the final design. One idea of color changing fabrics that were heat 
  50 
 
activated never made it into the final costume design, but I was very grateful for the 
idea and the time given by Robert and the shops to test this idea out in studio during 
the early summer rehearsal process. It was just as important to rule out ideas that did 
not work, as it was to declare ideas that did.  
We did ask Robert to help us create clothing that felt worn and beaten from an 
extremely long journey. The colors of Cuba were inspiration as well. Vintage 
wallpaper and plasters of old Cuban buildings eventually inspired the pallet. The final 
look was worn, sun beaten, and saltwater distressed. The costumes consisted of 
multiple layers and even the ones the audience couldn’t see were quite important in 
terms of creating weight on the body and a sense of holding on to the only clothes 
you have. The coats were lined with pockets that were originally conceived to hold 
extra weight as well. This turned out to be unnecessary as the natural weight of the 
clothing proved to be enough and there was something poetic about the weight of our 
empty pockets being carried throughout the show.  
 
  51 
 
Hidden Support Structures- Stage Management  
 
The section ‘55 Years’ seen from a view similar to that of the Stage Manger’s booth. 
Photo Credit: C. Stanley  
 
The contributions of stage management to this process cannot be overstated. 
To mange this many design elements, schedules, and technically complicated props is 
a daunting task but our tasks during WDWL were made very smooth due to Tarythe 
Albrecht’s incredible capabilities of anticipating what was needed. Tarythe is 
amazing at listening and has a keen eye for movement, which meant she was able to 
memorize complicated choreographic structures well before we ever started “teching” 
the show. Just like Robin and Jonathan, Tarythe performed the dance with us every 
night. The living breathing space of the Kogod that we created and performed in 
danced to the rhythm of Tarythe’s calls, and she danced in response to our dancing 
onstage.  
This relationship was challenged and measured through several technical 
difficulties that occurred during the run of the show. Each time Tarythe and dancers 
  52 
 
were challenged to work together to solve the problem. This may best be exemplified 
by a technical glitch that occurred during the opening performance during which the 
sound went out for approximately twelve minutes of the show. As a performer this 
was scary and exhilarating and the four of us just kept moving in the spirit of “the 
show must go on.” At a certain point however it did become hard to imagine how 
long the show could go on without music. We were approaching the fastest section of 
WDWL titled ‘Searchlight.’ The music drives the tempo of the dance and cues 
several minutes of unison choreography within our quartet.  
The moment arrives for this section to begin and there is still no music. We 
move on anyway. It was incredible how in tune we became as performers to each 
other when the music was taken away. We were all scared no doubt but we had each 
other, so that was enough to move on and give it a go. The section was going well 
enough considering the technical circumstances. Breathing had become our sound 
score and we were making it past the halfway point of the section. Here we started 
running and breaking into duets that spill across the space. Strobe lights emphasized a 
desire to for us to escape. A key moment is coming where I jump over Jonathan and 
fall to the floor syncing up with Robin for the final section of runs and falls. The 
music suddenly crashed back into the space! 
It felt good to have the music again but we were not sure if it came in at the 
right time with the movement. The end of this section finishes with Jonathan diving 
and falling right on the music but we didn’t know if we would hit this moment. The 
music sounded right…but was it? Jonathan fell. The music ended. The music was 
perfect.  
  53 
 
Tarythe had watched us rehearse this number hundreds of times and she knew 
the music. She knew exactly where to bring it back in and once she solved the 
technical problem from the booth she caught us in the final moment of searchlight. 
Something went wrong as often happens in performance but I believe that if you stay 
together and take care of each other nothing truly wrong can happen in performance. 
I’m grateful that Tarythe had prepared, just as I do, for an intimate duet with another 
dancer. She was prepared, so even though something went awry, she was still there to 
catch us.   
  54 
 
Chapter 5:  Synthesis of the Work 
 
 
“Myths are public dreams; dreams are private myths. By finding your own dream and 
following it through, it will lead you to the myth-world in which you live. But just as 
in dream, the subject and object, though they seem to be separate, are really the 
same” (Campbell, “The Letter ‘U’: Dream Consciousness,” Track 12, 00:00:58-
00:01:22). 
 
Value in Making Dreams 
 
WDWL is an experience built to parallel and bring forth the mythic images 
and experiences of one family’s exodus from their homeland. Instead of presenting 
this information literally through clear narrative and spoken language, WDWL used 
the intuitive kinesthetic knowledge of the body to present a dreamscape of content for 
  55 
 
its audiences to digest and the performers to experience. There is exceptional value in 
this process for me and the more I discover how this can be done the more deeply 
connected I become to the fields of dance and mythology.  
The value of this process of making dances that operate as dreamscapes, may 
be best understood by the sense of wonder that they form. Quotes from audience 
members about the show illustrate the nature of this wonder forming in their minds.  
 
“During the show I was able to let go of trying to find a meaning or overthinking the 
story behind each and every thing and let myself just experience what was happening 
in front of me.” –Adriane 
 
“I had moments through the piece where it felt as though I was dreaming. 
Throughout the piece, it felt as though several different dreams with different plots 
and then you have a reality check to remember it’s just a dream.” –Shaina   
 
“It’s an image, an idea, an experience that is free to float instead of being tied down 
by words. It was raw and paradoxical.” –Arsh  
  
These sentiments are not unique to this evening of dance. I believe dance 
creates this sense of wonder naturally, but I do believe that when dance is creating 
wonder like this in it’s audiences, it is because it is tapping into the same collective 
unconscious from which mythology is derived. Dance is lining up with our 
subconscious knowledge of mythic images. “Mythological symbols touch and 
  56 
 
exhilarate centers of life beyond the reach of reason and coercion…” (Campbell, 
‘Masks of God’ 4). Dance can “touch and exhilarate” the centers of our lives well 
beyond the reaches of reason and coercion.  It is for this reason that I love to dance 
and make dances. It is for this reason that I strive for my choreographic work to align 
with the mythological symbols that reconcile a waking consciousness with our sense 
of wonder.  
 
Listening To The Work 
 
In many ways it feels fitting that I don’t have a well wrapped up or easily 
understood conclusion to this process of making WDWL. This seems fitting because 
when you are looking to explore the unknown you must give up the parts of you that 
want to make assumptions and you have to surrender to the practice of listening. 
Looking at the work, it was not perfect, and it was filled with challenges. Listening to 
the work reminds me that perfection was never an image I was trying to achieve. 
Myths and their metaphors are not measured by their perfection. They are images 
meant to direct our understanding and attention into the transcendent realms of our 
being. They are meant to feed us and transform us. Metaphors are meant to be 
heard… 
 
When I listen I can hear the waves crashing on the beach like the sad song of a 
mother grieving…  
 
I hear the bodies crashing into the ocean and I feel their weight gathering up on my 
shoulders…  
  57 
 
 
Listening I hear… “Take care of each other out there.”… 
 
“Because that water that is there, separating one from the other is something that if 
you touch it will break your heart, your courage, everything you believe.” 
 
For my process, repetition counts. You have to listen to the movements of the 
dance over and over. You have to wait in the dark. Time is important. Weight and 
gravity always tell the truth. So does dance. This story was meant to test me and 
become my own. 
 
“Because that water that is there, separating one from the other is something that if 
you touch it will break your heart, your courage, everything you believe.” 
 
When I listened and closed my eyes I found the images but time and repetition 
were key. It must be pondered that perhaps the repetitions are still not done. What 
will this journey look like in fifty-five years? The meaning of this dance has already 
grown over time and like a dream it provokes strong visceral imagery stored inside 
my body.   
 
Yo me requerdo. I remember.  
I remember Jonathan cueing our movements in the silence.  
Yo me requerdo. 
I remember carrying Robin over the wall in the dark. 
Yo me requerdo. 
  58 
 
I remember touching Colette’s outstretched hands and bringing them to my forehead 
like an ocean wave gently crashing on the beach.  
Yo me requerdo.  
I remember the moment that I made her story my story. 
Her burden my burden. 
Her waiting my waiting.  
 
I remember holding Colette…Cuba…one last time.  
 
 “Because that water that is there, separating one from the other is something that if 
you touch it will break your heart, your courage, everything you believe.” 
 
This moment continues to impact me. These moments of deeply empathizing 
with Colette’s family have been there in my personal life before, but the action of 
dancing this moment resonated deeper; the actions made it real. The discovery of its 
mythic images let me in. This dance was not Colette’s family’s journey just as this 
paper is not the dance. It does however point towards La Familia3 and their journey. It 
works hard to give a taste of an experience that can only be summoned up through the 
wonder of people moving in space to the rhythm of the collective unconscious. It can 
only be summoned up through dance.  
I set out to see if I could make myths of my own through this thesis process. I 
wanted to make myth though dancing. Yo me requerdo. I remember not knowing 
                                                
3  How Colette refers to her family in Spanish. 
  59 
 
how. Yo me requerdo. I remember listening…waiting. There was nothing to make. 
Instead of making myths I learned how to listen for them. I sat there silently watching 
the water pour in. This is transformational. Swimming and Swimming… Leaving the 
shore. By listening to Colette’s dream and following it through I found myself inside 
the myth world in which I live. Swimming and Swimming…. Leaving her behind.  
 
 
 
 
Swimming and Swimming.... 
 
 
Yo me requerdo. I remember.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  60 
 
Matt and Colette embrace in the section ‘He Venido’. Photo Credit: C. Stanley 
 
  61 
 
Appendix 
SECTIONS CONTENT DANCERS AUDIO TRACK PROJECTION CUE LIGHTING REHEARSAL 
VIDEO 
PRESHOW  
Worklights.  
Just the Bike, Log, and 
Ladder are in the space.  
Water is dripping from 
the upstage right corner 
of the space.  
Overall the space is dull 
and relatively 
uninspiring. 
 
Backstage 
 
No Audio. Let the 
silence of the 
spaceand the 
sounds of the 
audience provide a 
sharp contrast for 
the start of the 
show. 
 
Black/Dowsed. 
    
BLIND THE 
AUDIENCE/ 
FALLING INTO 
THE ABYSS 
 
Blinding light and sound. 
Cacophony of light. Blind 
the audience into the 
darkness. 
 
Backstage 
 
Opening Hurricane 
with Tail.mp3 
 
Space flashes and 
radically comes to 
life. 
  
SHOWING 
VIDEOS 
FOLDER 
2016.08.17 
WDWL 
Showing 
WAIT IN THE 
DARKNESS/ 
THE ABYSS 
 
Letting the audience sit 
in the darkness and the 
silence. Making them 
feel isolated and alone. 
 
Backstage. Waiting 
to enter. 
Faintly hearing the 
ocean? The sound 
of the first waters 
in the abyss. Ice 
cavern 
Black/Dowsed. 
    
ENTRANCE  
Coming from exile. 
Standing in the light. 
 
SOUND DOOR 
OPENS. 
Dancers enter 
carrying cans. 
 
ELEPHANT DOOR 
AND SOUND 
DOOR CLOSE 
TOGETHER. 
 
Section 1-2 8-7-
16.MP3 
Black/Dowsed. Bright light 
behind the 
elephant 
door spilling 
into the 
space. 
SHOWING 
VIDEOS 
FOLDER 
2016.08.17 
WDWL 
Showing 
ASSEMBLY   
DANCING IN 
FRONT OF CANS 
Slow walking 
backwards. 
 
Section 1-2 8-7-
16.MP3 
Added ticking 
sound.   
Can-lights 
come up 
after door 
closes. 
  
  62 
 
SECTIONS CONTENT DANCERS AUDIO TRACK PROJECTION CUE LIGHTING REHEARSAL 
VIDEO 
KICKING UP 
DUST 
(ACTIVATION 
OF THE 
WORLD) 
 
 
Stirring up and preparing 
the space. Haze/fog start 
to fill the air and 
performers activate the 
dream reality of the 
world. Dual sense of life 
and decay. 
 
KICKING UP THE 
DUST DANCE. 
Dancers are in a 
small cluster slightly 
stage right of 
center. 
 
Section 1-2 8-7-
16.MP3 Need to 
extend 
  
 
HAZE. 
  
HURRICANE/ 
FLOOD 
  
Dancers begin to 
break apart and are 
spread through the 
space by crashing 
waves. 
he venido 
reversed? JEFF 
      
ITO reunion/ 
Two 
generations of 
exiles 
(M&J Duet) 
  
 
Matt & Jonathan 
Duet. 
Colette and Robin 
hold cans and then 
place cans on the 
wall and elephant 
door stage right.  
DUET ENDS WITH 
MATT CATCHING 
JONATHAN. 
*chimes (slowed 
down 200%)* 
DYLAN 
      
CALLING OF 
THE LADDER 1 
 
"The Ladder is our bridge 
to the stories that we 
have been told since we 
were young and the 
places we've still never 
touched." 
 
Start in darkness. A 
single rung of the 
ladder is illuminated 
calling Colette to 
climb up and touch 
it. As she touches it 
a memory is 
released into the 
space. The ocean 
waves...a woman 
on the shore. 
*each ladder rung 
triggers a 
different sound (6 
total). 1.) 
reversed 
reversed 
hurricane 
(opening to 
beach) 2.) violin 
harmonics (in 
STEMS) 3.) 
cellos/bass (in 
STEMS) JEFF 
 
Colette standing on 
the shore. 
    
  63 
 
SECTIONS CONTENT DANCERS AUDIO TRACK PROJECTION CUE LIGHTING REHEARSAL 
VIDEO 
BODIES 
ROLLING 
"The beach waits to say 
goodbye to more of her 
children only to see 
some wash back 
ashore." 
When Colette 
releases the ladder 
rung the 
memory/video of 
the space starts to 
slowly decay. 
Jonathan and Matt 
start rolling. Robin 
and Colette start 
reeling the bodies 
back home. 
WDWL_Rolling&W
allDuet_160910.wa
v 
Decaying video of 
Colette standing on 
the shore. 
    
WALL DUETS 
  
 
Matt and Jonathan 
push Colette and 
Robin upward and 
they walk across 
the wall and back 
down. Tableaus of 
longing, love, and 
loss take place as 
the wall continues 
to finally decay/ 
dissolve away. 
WDWL_Rolling&W
allDuet_160910.wa
v (continued) 
Final decay of 
space. 
    
CALLING OF 
THE BIKE 2 
 
The island of the bike 
calls the performers to it. 
A glimpse at the exit and 
climax later to come. 
 
Performers walking 
slowly downstage 
towards the bike. 
"Worlds Biggest 
Well 
Drips.wav"as the 
constant 
*mix the Cuban 
National Anthem 
(La Bayamesa) 
with the 
Communist 
Anthem* JEFF 
Starts in the Can, 
and eeks in. 
Comes in and 
out. 
 
Cone around bike. 
Flickering? 
    
  64 
 
SECTIONS CONTENT DANCERS AUDIO TRACK PROJECTION CUE LIGHTING REHEARSAL 
VIDEO 
SEARCHLIGHT  
"Waiting patiently and 
impatiently. Waiting for 
the light to pass. 
Oscuridad. Darkness. 
Now. 
Swimming and 
Swimming… 
Leaving the shore. 
Swimming and 
Swimming…. 
Leaving her behind. 
Swimming and 
Swimming.... 
A fin rises up beside him, 
me. 
Swimming and 
Swimming side by side 
with the revolution.  
Nadando y Nadando. 
Swimming and 
Swimming... 
If it’s a shark I’m dead. 
If it’s a dolphin it means 
no sharks. 
Swimming and 
Swimming… 
The fin stays with me till 
the end.  
No sharks tonight except 
the searchlights that 
pulled me back home. 
(Wake me in the night) 
say instead? 
Manolo fue capturado y 
fue a la carcel. 
Manolo fue capturado y 
fue a la carcel. 
Manolo was captured 
and sent to prison." 
 
Unison walking 
phrase into the 
pulsing can-lights. 
Breaks apart 
performers seeking 
to get under the 
light. Culminates in 
doubles duets. 
Repeat Matt and 
Jonathan. Add the 
Ligthhouse duet of 
Colette and Robin. 
WDWL_Searchligh
t_160907.wav 
  
 
Pulsing can-
lights. 
  
  65 
 
SECTIONS CONTENT DANCERS AUDIO TRACK PROJECTION CUE LIGHTING REHEARSAL 
VIDEO 
CALLING OF 
THE LADDER 2 
  
All rungs of the 
ladder light up. 
Colette goes behind 
the ladder. 4 Rungs 
remain lit. As 
Colette grabs each 
rung a body falls 
into the water/back 
wall projection. 
Colette climbs the 
ladder again for a 
final rung. This time 
the ladder rung 
activates projection 
search lights 
emanating from the 
bodies on the 
ground. Colette 
climbs down the 
ladder and begins 
pulling Robins body 
by her jacket. Robin 
and Colette ascend 
back up the ladder. 
*each ladder rung 
triggers a 
different sound (6 
total). 1.) 
reversed 
reversed 
hurricane 
(opening to 
beach) 2.) violin 
harmonics (in 
STEMS) 3.) 
cellos/bass (in 
STEMS) JEFF 
Searchlight and 
Ladder rungs 
    
CALLING OF 
THE BIKE 3 
    
"Worlds Biggest 
Well 
Drips.wav"as the 
constant 
*mix the He 
Venido with the 
Communist 
Anthem* JEFF IN 
THE CAN!!! 
WOOOO!!! 
 
Cone around bike. 
Flickering? 
    
WAITING DUET 
R & C 
  
R&C Duet on ladder 
now. M&J on the 
Floor. Colette 
touches the first 
rung triggering the 
first memory 
momentarily but 
then it bursts into 
Ticks slowly 
drifting apart?--> 
JEFF 
Memory 1 turns into 
the White bar from 
the ceiling falls for 5 
minutes. 
    
  66 
 
SECTIONS CONTENT DANCERS AUDIO TRACK PROJECTION CUE LIGHTING REHEARSAL 
VIDEO 
the white line that 
travels down the 
wall for waiting. 
WAITING IN 
THE WAVES 
  
R&C wait on the 
ladder above the 
waves. M&J stay on 
the floor in the 
waves. 
-->ticks turns into 
ocean waves 
(ocean waves are 
the new clock) 
Ocean Waves 
into End Titles 
As the white bar hits 
the seem of the 
Floor and the Wall it 
turns into waves 
rolling across the 
floor.     
ASSEMBLY 2 
  
INSERT MATT 
AND JONATHAN 
UNISON DUET. 
Dancers slowly 
make thier way to in 
front of the cans. 
Small Reprise of 
assembly against 
SR wall in front of 
wall mounted cans. 
 
*Variation on 
Section 1-2 8-7-
16.MP3 
Added ticking 
sound. JEFF 
      
COLETTE 
SOLO 
 Heavy Celebration. 
Waiting for 55 years. 
New years at Lela’s is so 
happy but filled with 
heavy memories as well. 
Colette reprise 
kicking up the dust 
into 55 gesture 
phrase. J, R, and M 
moving landscape 
with three cans. 
Maybe reprise 
Kicking up dust in 
front of cans. 
*Assembly 
continues, adding 
more and more 
sounds. Becomes 
cacophony of 
sound into!!--> 
JEFF 
    
REHEARSAL 
VIDEO FILE 
9.10 
Assembly.mp
4 
HE VENIDO 
(Heart of the 
piece) 
Last love letter to Cuba. 
One story becomes two. 
Matt and Colette 
Duet 
WDWL_HeVenido
_160911.wav 
Starts in Speaker 
Can. Blend into 
space based on 
sweeping 
gestures. Sound 
switches to high 
fidelity when Matt 
Holds Colette's 
Hand and brings 
them to his face.       
  67 
 
SECTIONS CONTENT DANCERS AUDIO TRACK PROJECTION CUE LIGHTING REHEARSAL 
VIDEO 
BLIND THE 
AUDIENCE/FAL
LING INTO THE 
ABYSS 
Calling of the 
bike 4 
  
Colette unhooks 
ladder. Goes to 
back wall with J&R. 
Slow walk forward. 
55 years of 
memories we ride 
through in 5 
minutes. Speed of 
projection and 
sound affected by 
bike. 
WDWL_55years_
MAXcaco_201609
24  
55 years of 
memories we ride 
through in 5 
minutes. Speed of 
projection and 
sound affected by 
bike. THE ENDING 
BLINDS THE 
AUDIENCE INTO 
THE BLACKOUT 
AGAIN.     
55 YEARS/ THE 
BIKE RIDE 
  
Matt rides the bike 
through 55 years in 
five minutes. This 
crumbles the world 
and breaks it. 
Colette, Robin, and 
Jonathan walk 
slowly from the 
back to the front of 
the space. 
WDWL_55years_MA
Xcaco_20160924	       
LADDER 
DUETTHE 
OTHER SIDE 
  
Jonathan moves 
ladder to set up 
duet. Matt moves 
bike upstage right. 
Robin crosses and 
stands underneath 
the ladder. Colette 
and matt move the 
drip corner for thier 
duet. Robin and 
Jonathan perform 
ladder duet. Matt 
and Colette wall 
duet. Deposit 
Robin. ADD MORE 
DEPOSITS. Matt 
and Colette Ladder 
duet. 
WDWL_TheBright
_160813.wav 
(*make longer*) 
DYLAN--> 
      
MATT DRAG  THIS SECTION WAS 
CUT 
  
>WDWL_TheBrigh
t_160813.wav 
(continued)       
  68 
 
SECTIONS CONTENT DANCERS AUDIO TRACK PROJECTION CUE LIGHTING REHEARSAL 
VIDEO 
DISTANCIA 
INFINITA 
  
DIAGONAL 
QUARTET. 
EXODUS 
PHRASES. 
R&J duet. MATT 
AND COLETTE 
EXODUS PHRASE 
BACK UP THE 
DIAGONAL.  
MATT MOVES 
PROPS. COLETTE 
MOVES CANS. 
Cans to final 
position. C&M 
Doorframe duet. 
JONATHAN 
LEAVES ROBIN. 
ROBIN BRINGS 
FINAL CAN TO 
THE CORNER. 
FINAL SCANS OF 
PEOPLE START. 
WDWL_StainedGl
ass_160831.wav 
(ends at the end of 
Jonathan/Robin 
duet) *Possibly 
make longer* 
DYLAN 
 
Well drips begin as 
she looks back at 
can (beginning of 
the end) 
      
 
 
 
  69 
 
Bibliography 
Campbell, Joseph. Myths of Light: Eastern Metaphors of the Eternal. Novato, CA: 
New World Library, 2012 (copyright the Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2002). 
Print. 
---. Myths to Live By. New York: Viking Press, 1972. Print. 
---. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 
1972. Print. 
---.The Masks of God, vol. 4: Creative Mythology. New York: Viking press, 1965, 
Print. 
---. “The Letter ‘U’: Dream Consciousness,” The Vitality of Myth: Mythology and 
the Individual. Volume 1. 1.1.5. The Joseph Campbell Foundation. Digital 
Download. 2017. Audio Track 12. 
---. Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor. Novato, CA.: New World 
Library, 2013 (copyright the Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2001). Print. 
Campbell, Joseph with Bill Moyers. The Power of Myth. New York, NY: Doubleday, 
1988. Print. 
Langer, Susanne K. Philosophy in a New Key: A Study in the Symbolism of Reason, 
Rite, and Art. [3d ed. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1976. Print. 
Wikipedia. "Dream." Web. Date of access: December 16, 2014.