everyday more dystopian

everyday more dystopian: entropic playground by Creative Incubation Residency Artists, NMLY.dance under the co-artistic direction of Nicole McNeil and Lori Yuill.  

everyday more dystopian: entropic playground, is a feature length multidisciplinary presentation/installation that explores themes of destruction, nature, environmental impact, and human relationships. The work invites the audience to consider “what’s next” as it traverses a dystopian landscape incited by the kinetic energy in loss. The performances  feature projection design by Brian Buck and a collaboratively development set installation initiated by multidisciplinary artist Katelyn Halpern’s 2 part World Building workshops that were offered in early September.

entropic playground is part of Nicole and Lori’s broader project everyday more dystopian, a growing catalog of dances, performances and workshops that aim to spark a renewed interest between humans and the natural world in an effort to inspire a deeper connection to nature, fostering appreciation for its beauty, fragility and the importance of ecological awareness and sustainability. The process for this body of work takes a deep dive into the archive to revive and reprise dances and phrases that were created between 2020 and 2023 with the goal to draw out new stories and meaning. As the work evolves, each presentation is shaped by a botanical sound score and projection design.

Decomposing in Tandem

If you need me, call me

If you need me, call me is a performance that experiments with our natural inclination to attach a sound to movement. NMLY.dance uses improvisational techniques to generate a farcical song and dance. This dance employs humorous tropes such as lip syncing and game show antics to explore social and performative constructs. Imagine the Muppets enter the Judson Church Theater at the birth of Post-Modern Dance and decide to try their hand at a Way Off Broadway Performance Art Vaudevillian Variety Show.

The Four of Us

The Four of Us is a collaboration between international dancer makers Adam Castañeda (Houston, Texas), Domokos Kovacs (Budapest, Hungary), and Ana Paula Ornelas (Hermosillo, Mexico). The work began in August 2023, when the three dancer/choreographers met at Art Omi in Upstate New York. A year later, they reconnected in Budapest, Hungary to process the previous year of transition, disappointment, and ennui. The result is The Four of Us. Click the button below to learn more.

Through writing, movement, and prop manipulation, Adam, Domokos , and Ana Paula explore what it means to be at a crossroads in community. After experiencing an artistic "high of a lifetime," how does one navigate the inevitable trajectory back to normalcy? Castaneda, Kovacs, and Ornelas create a quiet, yet, robust introspection that sees them confronting the fear and excitement of a blank canvas...anything is possible, even when nothing seems possible. Three friends, each armed with their performance traditions and toolboxes, confront the precipice together, along with a fourth, unnamed figure that seems to drive their focus, desires, and, ultimately, dreams.

Artistic Statement

Why do we hide the effort? In this piece I explore the relationship between physical exertion in the act of performing and the performance itself by fighting my ego’s want to equate mastery and ease. Only by letting go of how we think we should be can we discover what we could be. 

@persimey | @_riddles_three_

Riddles Three in rehearsal and Performance

Photos by Persi Mey and Von Kipper “Legend”