As the founder and artistic director of Annex Dance Company, Kristin Alexander has pushed boundaries through experimental, collaborative modern movement. For the past 19 years, the New Jersey native has incorporated film, poetry, visual art, and original soundscapes on the stages of traditional theaters, as well as unconventional venues, such as galleries, distilleries, and outdoor spaces.
Alexander, who has a master’s of fine arts in dance, launched Annex in 2007 while working at DeSales University in Pennsylvania. Three years later, she relocated to Charleston to be closer to her sister and to grow her dance company. Since then, she’s hosted residencies through Engaging Creative Minds and an annual residency with the College of Charleston Department of Theatre and Dance, where she’s an associate professor.
This spring, Alexander and Annex associate artistic director Julie Clark are debuting two ambitious projects: Mother/Motion, a film featuring company members at different stages of motherhood created with filmmaker Tony Morgan; and Ripples of Change, a mixed-repertory concert exploring humanity’s relationship with the environment. Here, she talks with us while on sabbatical just before the new works are introduced.
Creative Start: I might read something or have a conversation with someone that sparks an idea. I sit with my idea and begin to explore it through movement invention. This is where the potential for collaboration may enter, allowing someone else’s creativity to influence my own. Because there is so much trust between me and the dancers, sometimes collaboration is part of the rehearsal process when building a new work.
Stages of Motherhood: The film is called Mother/Motion, and it follows five of us in the company in all stages of motherhood. I’m the oldest in the group, but we have mothers with young kids, toddlers, and a brand-new mom. I wouldn’t have been able to continue creating throughout the stages of motherhood without the support of my company. The film explores what it means to inhabit a body that has created life and how that transformation can empower us as creative dance artists. It reflects on how our identities as mother-artists are strengthened through shared experience.
Connecting the Dots: Ripples of Change is our big concert in April. I’ve been excited to pursue a concert centralized around a theme. All the pieces are connected to the environment. One is about the deep sea; my collaborators include a composer, costume designer, and my cousin Dr. Clare Fieseler, who is a marine ecologist. She said it’s hard for people to care about the deep sea because it’s so foreign. We want to create something they can connect with.
The Evolution of Annex: Our investigation of the body and the body and the relationship with one another is a lot deeper, more sophisticated, more genuine, even. [I’m] thinking about who I was when I first created this kind of work and who I am now. I started dancing my best in my 30s and even 40s. I’m still having revelations at 50.
The Role of the Arts: When I was talking about this season in terms of funding, I said, “I feel like an all-female, multigenerational company doing work about the environment right now might be important to some people.” We need the arts now more than ever. Just to be able to connect with people through the arts is significant. I’ve let that drive me. It’s hard when every day the news is throwing something else at you. Sometimes, I wonder if being in the studio is what I should be doing right now, but it’s not just for me; it’s for the people we’re creating for and with and the dialogues we’re trying to bring to the forefront.
