the moonbelly healing project


12.15.17


december - the concept of who we are,
at home or not at home



As a final goodbye to 2017, I also am saying goodbye to this extensive and challenging project that has been the backbone and support structure for this crazy year.

So, here it goes...


Being at home in Evanston is always so informative and clear for me. I truly feel that is it valuable for me to acknowledge how where I am from defines me and my reality and therefore my relationships with the entire rest of the world. In my creative (and spiritual) work I come back again and again to the concept of having different selves, something I touched on in the concept behind the May video. This month, we have me six times but all at once. Yes, dressed differently maybe, but all are still me, all at once and as one thing.

I hope this little video makes you smile. Looking into the new year, I am excited to see and experience this project evolve and grow. I am still sitting with the idea of how, but it will live on in some fashion as it has brought me so much in 2017. Thank you all for being with me in this, for your support, love, and generosity. xoxo, Katrina


concept and performance by katrina atkin
music dance of the sugar plum fairy by tchaikovsky,

recorded by kevin macleod (links below)
filmed in evanston, il
released december 31st, 2017


(music credits)
song: freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/

Classical_Sampler/Dance_of_the_Sugar_Plum_Fairy
artist: freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/
source: freemusicarchive.org/
license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode


10.15.17


october - orbits meeting


When dear friends move apart, it's always hard to know how the relationship will change. Maybe it will dissipate completely, maybe you will talk every day, and maybe it will be somewhere in the middle. For Ally, Ann-Marie, and myself, it seems to be that middle option. We always find our way back to each other, whether altogether or as "duets". It is always a time filled with profound love, deep laughter, and a sense of being understood on a visceral level.
I am grateful to have had this day of filming together, dancing in nature and enjoying each other's personalities and artistic sensibilities. I wish we could do this every day again like we did in college, but for right now I am simply grateful for the moments that we do get to be our joyous, dancing selves together.
concept/movement by
katrina atkin, alessandra delle grotti, and ann-marie gover
music by weekend athlete
dresses by rosa novak
filmed at johnson park, highland park, nj
​released october 15th, 2017




9.1.17



september preview - air (working title)




I am just trying to feel alive.

moves by Katrina Atkin
music by Max Swan
setting by Mother Nature

Filmed at Secret Beach, NJ
To be released September 15th, 2017​




8.1.17



august - nothing to see, hear (working title)



This is the story of my grandmother, my mother, and myself. Our individual (yet shared) cycle of hurt and healing that is repeated and unspoken. For this film, Marisa lends her movement and her interpretation to experiences that are too hot to touch for me, yet.

By Katrina Atkin and Marisa Illingworth
Filmed at Maha Yoga Studio, Phila, PA
To be released August 15th, 2017​


7.15.17



july - feelingso



feelingso is one of my favorite solos I have ever made for myself and I have always imagined it in a setting just like this, rather than the studios that it has been performed in before. Luckily, I found myself in beautiful Maine a few weeks back and was able to spend a lovely morning playing in the grass. For me, the lyrics, delivered via Patsy Cline's lucious croon, can potentially be speaking about any of the experiences, things, or people that

we love and lose in life.


by Katrina Atkin and Josh Nussbaum
Music from Patsy Cline
Filmed in Freeport, ME
Released July 15th, 2017​




7.1.17



july preview - feelingso (working title)



This is a sweet, little dance I made a few months ago. I decided to try it in the trees of Maine for this filming because I was there and it was a gorgeously perfect day. I'm not sure yet what this piece means to me in terms of content, but it's significance lies in the ease with which the choreography spilled forth, which was an experience that I was desperately craving at the time. Now, it's a short, fun piece that I hope to bring to more places and see what happens.


by Katrina Atkin
Filmed in Freeport, ME
To be released July 15th, 2017​


6.1.17



JUNE - toy, boat, tiny (working title)



I think I am truly coming up against the structure I set for myself; even if it's not a masterpiece, stretching my creative muscles is valuable and important. And usually, I find that the situations of friction end up yielding the most satisfying results.


By Katrina Atkin

Filmed in Philadelphia, PA

To be released June 15th, 2017





5.15.17



may - my, gentle heart



From Katrina -
This month was incredibly interesting, with many twists and turns, last minute changes and unforeseen challenges. I am fascinated by how what initially can feel like a roadblock or an unfortunate circumstance can actually lead to growth; personal as well as within a specific artistic work.

I have been thinking about the concept of changeable personalities situation to situation (Katrina-at-the-dentist vs. Katrina-with-friends, etc.) and how to put this into physical movement without it being drenched with emotion. What I developed replaced the emotional aspect of a given situation with a movement quality , which the dancers then used to inform short improvisations. For example, if I feel anxious when I'm at the dentist, the movement qualities could be rigid and tight. To bolster the concept of being the same person but acting differently , the dancers changed clothing between each take.

While the content of this was very interesting to me and I am very happy with the formula I came up with to create this piece, what I've taken away from it appears to be much grander and overarching about who I am and what I like to make. At first, I was feeling really bummed because I think it looks and feels a lot like some of the other videos I have made this year, but I think what's happening is that I am developing a style. I have never worked as intentionally in the medium of video prior to this, and I think I am working out the kinks and learning a lot about how I work this way. I think, overall, I am a much more abstract choreographer than I ever realized, and I am figuring out how to embrace that and move deeper into this exploration of what I like to create.




Dancers
Whitney Casal
Ella Cuda
Shannon Renninger
Harlee Trautman
Directed by Katrina Atkin
Filmed at The Whole Shebang, Philadelphia, PA
Released May 15th, 2017


5.1.17



may preview- my, gentle heart (working title)



I remember being rather young, maybe about 11 or 12, and becoming deeply aware of the different versions of myself that existed in different situations. Katrina-at-home-with-family was very different than Katrina-with-friends, or Katrina-at-the-dentist. This puzzled and concerned me. I felt to be my most genuine, these "versions" needed to be more alike than different.
I've recently come up against this concept of (my) fluid personality again, over 10 years later in my young life. Although, this time, instead of trying to change myself to act similarly in all situations, I am trying to use this information as research that I hope will show me with some clarity the types of relationships, jobs, and adventures I want to be engaging in.
Because I feel this is a universally shared and emotionally rich experience, I thought it would be simple and interesting to translate onto bodies in a textural and delicate way. Informed -but not smothered- by emotional information. I asked four good friends to improvise within these simple parameters, and chose to create a simple setting that allowed for the subtleties of the dancers to shine.
Dancers
Whitney Casal
Ella Cuda
Shannon Renninger
Harlee Trautman
Directed by Katrina Atkin
Filmed at The Whole Shebang, Philadelphia, PA
To be released May 15th, 2017


4.27.17



APRIL - the birds are louder when it rains
JOURNAL ENTRY 2



From Jenna:


Distance is a powerful reality these days: between people, viewpoints, circumstances. And so is the lack of distance: between work and life, news and entertainment, internet and the flesh. The subtlety of distance has been all but obliterated. And in this current culture of binaries, nuance itself has become a casualty. So I was jazzed when Katrina approached me about creating this film using our remoteness us as a springboard.

Katrina and I grew up together before the invention of Facebook and its siblings (there were, however, many a cosmic bowling birthday parties). As a result, our relationship is rooted in real life, in linear time. But making this short film allowed us to explore our mutual history ruptured from the rhythm of our reality. There was nothing chronological about our process, and no delineations of time in creating content. Additionally, there was a clear expectation that editing would manipulate things further. This editing is the beauty of film that dance and real life aren’t afforded. It is also where the subtlety of space was cracked open for me + Katrina. We were free to shape the distance between us that’s grown and shrunk for the last nine years. It was a contextual container, a justification of film as a medium, an editing tool, and a poetic metaphor.

Though we met over Skype for months, all of our ideas morphed as we committed to them in the flesh. But good ideas become better ones if you allow them to change. And while we discussed at length the images we’d capture in our separate locations, what ultimately uploaded from the SD cards was a constellation of coincidence and contrasts. Katrina has shaped these beautifully, without once scolding me for not being able to construct a bed of balloons like her!*

What is most transferrable for a process like this, or for anyone as a viewer, is this unique space: between expectations and reality, said and interpreted, near and far. What we built highlights these shades. And I am convinced that both producing and consuming nuance is something we can exalt in many parts of our lives.

Our world changes quicker than we can keep track of, but I maintain that subtlety isn’t a mutually exclusive concept. People are able modulate between different speeds, and a thoughtful mindset makes us successful across the barometer.


*my site revealed it had been collecting wood splinters for years, an undefeatable army for my balloon battalion.



Concept/movement: Katrina Atkin and Jenna Pollack

Music: Arame by Blue Dot Sessions from the Free Music Archive CC by NC


Filmed in Sitges, Spain/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Released April 15th, 2017





3.15.17


MARCH - hawaii


I am always amazed when projects are finished. For me, nothing ever turns out exactly how I first imagined, but I love being able to look back at how each of the pieces came together and brought it to the final version. This film in particular, obviously, differs drastically from the original intention and for that, I am grateful.


For example, Josh had been writing music for the original plan of a tropical solo, and we ended up deciding to use it for the video anyway. It's a beautiful piece, and I think it offers an interesting counterpoint to freneticism of the movement. Also, in offering that counterpoint, it adds another layer to the concept of opposites Lauren and I used exclusively

in creating the movement score.


When it comes to what we create and what we enjoy, I think that

what Lauren and I are always looking for a few things:

1. authenticity of movement

2. freedom and exploration within a structure

3. humor and humanness


​Even though we didn't specifically talk about these three things before filming, when I go back to watch it, I really feel that we instinctively incorporated the concepts and ideas that are important to us.


To Lauren: it was a pleasure and an honor to work with you on this and I deeply hope you feel healed in some way. I love you.


Concept and movement by

Katrina Atkin and Lauren Vogelstein

Music by Josh Nussbaum

Mastering by Ryan Schwabe

Editing by Katrina Atkin


Filmed at The Whole Shebang in Philadelphia, PA

Released March 15th, 2017


3.1.17



MARCH PREVIEW - Summer snow (working titLE)



This video is the result of cancelled plans, true friendship,

and a little bit of luck.


I was supposed to go out of town this weekend and was going to film at my destination, but I didn't end up going. Therefore, I had to scramble a little to put this together. Happily, my dear, dear friend Lauren Vogelstein happened to be visiting from Nashville. Lauren and I met dancing together when we were young and - despite talking nearly everyday - haven't collaborated since high school. The two of us are currently on pretty different paths at this point, but our views on dance and physicality and art are still incredibly complimentary.


What transpired when we made it into the studio to film was a magical, healing, and smooth process due to our years of shared experiences, priorities, and aesthetics. I've grown up as a person and artist with Lauren, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to make art with her - finally. What at first seemed like a huge roadblock ended up being the opening for something beautiful to come to fruition...

ain't that a metaphor.


Filmed at The Whole Shebang in Philadelphia, PA

To be released March 15th, 2017





1.15.17


january - SHE IS


From Katrina:

This video is truly a snapshot of me as a dancer right now. Comfy clothes, outside, makeup-less save the chill of the midwestern winter wind on my cheeks. Here is the story behind the movement.


I've been playing with this material for about two years. It's lived in studios, in sculpture parks, on piers, and my house. It's always been unfinished, like it makes sense for a long time and then drops off into a place that I don't understand.


The movement grew out of my desire to build myself a moving meditation, like an intricate walking pattern. It has a structure, like a story, which I'll share here.


I enter a space, create a ton of positive energy, and then sit back to watch it live outside of myself.


This is basically what I feel I'm doing constantly in my life (to a major fault); send energy away in the effort of making the world and the people around me happier.

So, in my life, I find myself struggling with how to hold onto this energy I create, this positivity, so that it can support ME, fuel ME. But I'm too scared of being selfish, so this is a huge, delicate search for balance.


So, I never knew how to finish the dance because I can't figure out this same issue in my life. (It makes perfect sense to me...) I finally landed on a simple ending, a gentle gathering in with my arms and a departure from the space. Onto the next, unknown thing.


Maybe, this simple action of gathering in what I create is exactly the simple action I need in my life too.




Katrina Atkin: choreographer/dancer

Keegan Atkin: cinematographer/editor

Music: Brian Eno and Laraaji


Filmed at the Skokie Lagoons, Glencoe, IL.

Released January 15th, 2017

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