life - breath - soul
MOLLY JENKS
Dancer & Choreographer in Soul
Creativity Team Life Liaison, Production Book Visual Design
A Richmond, VA native, Molly Jenks is a senior pursuing a B.F.A in dance performance and choreography, a B.A. in journalism and a minor in international and global studies. Molly has trained at the School of Richmond Ballet, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, the Florence Dance Center and the American Dance Festival. Previous credits include, 2019 "Transference" by Indonesian choreographer, Alisa Soelaeman, Jen Guy Metcalf’s "All the Light We Cannot See", Keshia Wall’s "Darling Betty" and "Spring” in Elon’s 2020 Rites of Seasons Dance Concert directed by Lauren Kearns. She is thrilled to be a part of Dancing in the Landscape and Black History Month this season.
A Note from the Artist:
In May of 2020, I began my journey of healing after years of emotional and physical trauma. Admittedly, I thought the brief time of shelter-in-place orders were the perfect opportunity to take the first steps in my introspection. When else would I have this kind of time on my hands?
(Spoiler: COVID-19 Shelter-in-place wasn't brief, and I've come to learn that healing doesn't have a timeline either.)
Healing is not linear, and it requires dedication and discipline. Both of which are skills a dancer, like me, gains through rigorous training. But movements and dance are not confined to this technical box, but they are expansive and all-encompassing. Movement is a reliever of burdens and baggage.
Through my healing, I finally began to see the baggage I carry; and how movement is the catharsis of my baggage.
Life is unpredictable, crazy and violent. Movement is too. Movement is soft, careful and peaceful too. Physically moving my body is cathartic, permissive and expressive of my innermost values and spirit. I use movement to unpack what life has loaded onto my soul and prevents the spirit inside of me from moving through me.
I am influenced by this: How does the baggage I carry inhibit my spirit from freely moving? My movement and work are influenced by this spirit and my faith.
I identify as a Christian before I identify as a dancer- and for one reason in particular. My work is a worship, a prayer and a thanksgiving to someone much bigger than I could ever be: God. The one wants me to go after my bucket list, who knows the desires of my heart and gives me a body that can move with a range of intensity. I have been given influences like observation of life that inspires concepts of my work, also people like Bob Fosse, Al Blackstone and Jerome Robbins.
The strength, the coolness, the life, height and depth of movement are what I seek. I make my work physically stressful to relieve my mental stress. Feeling my heart beat intensely is satisfying. Feeling sweat pool on my back from consistent energy and movement endurance is addictive.
I make my work by watching and listening. Questions and prompts from other non-art disciplines inform my work and music often informs my work. I create a plan, an outline and then give myself the grace to follow or, like life, to be unpredictable, crazy and violent. Strength has been a quality often affirmed of me by others. I like to be strong, mentally, emotionally and physically, but I won't always be.
Healing is the path to deeper, fuller and authentic inner-strength, and freedom from the burdens I carry. Questions, concentrations other than
art, music and strength describe my work. I make by diving into movement headfirst framed with inspiration and organization.
My purpose is to be a light in the dark world and my movement is a means and a gift in my life to do so. My message matters: This is
temporary. Let anger turn into peace, sadness into gladness and fear into fearlessness. Receive this life-giving, spiritually refreshing feeling. Receive healing.