life - breath - soul
MARISSA MAHONEY
Dancer & Choreographer in Soul
Creativity Team Breath Liaison, Production Book Writer
Marissa Mahoney is from Naples, Florida. She is a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography, B.A. in Strategic Communications, and a minor in Creative Writing. Marissa’s choreography was featured in the American College Dance Association Southeast Regional Gala and she was selected to showcase her work in the 2020 Elon Fall Dance Concert. Marissa has completed internships at the Merce Cunningham Trust, Avalon Artists Group, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. She is also the president of Elon DanceWorks, as well as an office assistant to the chairperson of Elon’s Performing Arts Department.
A Note from the Artist:
A blank canvas is daunting. Pollack splattered his, but Monet flowered his. Warhol transformed Campbell’s, but Van Gogh entranced a starry night in silent blues. The Museum of Modern Art still houses all of their variety with equal acclaim.
The slick Marley studio is inevitably tempting to my creative voice. On rainy Tuesdays I am a word czar, but dazed Sundays I fiddle and fumble with jumbled Scrabble blocks, aiming for a boisterous triple letter bonus. As a trained contemporary dancer from the hardy streets of New Jersey, I create work that is often influenced by the vivid, nostalgic memories of 6 Parkwood Lane and the five family members that filled it’s sturdy rooms. From this I have learned that introspection keeps me overwhelmingly entertained and this type of self analysis renders true in my fusion of contradictory qualities of attack.
I strive to harmonize the unpredictable with the heart- gripping power of movement. The challenge of engaging the fleeting human attention span in the reach of a story arch presents itself in my creative process. I wish my choreography to claim the authority of a cliffhanger. I create with the philosophy that good literature is not wrinkled pages one skims in a coffee shop, but rather intentional language that should be read with a tracking finger. It is the intangible sensation left on the viewer that I am invested in. If an audience member is content to exit the theater without pondering my thoughtful art, then I have not done my choreographic deed. I wish for my pallette to illustrate my conscious, anxious, rampant, inspired thoughts. What my choreography “says” is an attempt to meaningfully contribute to the landscape of our dance MoMA. May my additions be citrus and fruitful with every bite.