Feature - the Dance Enthusiast

Dance Up Close to the A.O. Movement Collective in " The ETLE Universe"

[Original article can be found here]

“It feels like we’re reaching a turning point,” says Sarah A.O. Rosner, artistic director of the A.O. Movement Collective. “I think this current generation of choreographers is already working in a way that is much more sustainable. They’re committed to figuring out what the work actually needs rather than focusing on getting to a certain venue.”

For in-depth features and news about New York dance, visit http://www.dance-enthusiast.com/ THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST goes behind the scenes with the hottest dance companies in New York City to share their stories. Sarah A.O. and the A.O. Movement Collective pioneer their own brand of "pomp-humanism" via a love affair with the aesthetics of mess.

I met with Rosner and four of her dancers during one of their rehearsals at Soundance in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. At the time of the meeting, the A.O. Movement Collective recently received the news that their scheduled season at Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) would have to happen elsewhere as the institution shut its doors in October.

For in-depth features and news about New York dance, visit http://www.dance-enthusiast.com/ THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST goes behind the scenes with the hottest dance companies in New York City to share their stories. Sarah A.O. and the A.O. Movement Collective pioneer their own brand of "pomp-humanism" via a love affair with the aesthetics of mess.

“When DNA closed, we were obviously in a bad situation. We had to find a new venue and recoup emergency funding,” says Rosner. “We also had to figure a way that this set back wouldn’t mean that we would have to scrap our whole season.”

Thankfully, the A.O. Movement Collective has found an alternative space, Roulette in Brooklyn on November 23. The new venue means that the artists will be unveiling Rosner’s most ambitious project yet, the ETLE Universe.

For in-depth features and news about New York dance, visit http://www.dance-enthusiast.com/ THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST goes behind the scenes with the hottest dance companies in New York City to share their stories. Sarah A.O. and the A.O. Movement Collective pioneer their own brand of "pomp-humanism" via a love affair with the aesthetics of mess.

The ETLE Universe is described as a queer/feminist cyborg-time-travel epic party. Over the next two years, it will feature ten works from the Universe’s 30 plus collaborators and AOMC corps performers.

“Of course, it’s been terrifying and upsetting to find a new venue in a short amount of time, but because of the flexible way we’re working, it’s feasible for the ETLE Universe to be performed in many different places,” says Rosner.  “It’s designed to take on the space it inhabits.”