Rebecca Bruno makes, facilitates, and performs dance. She is a working artist and also holds a cranial-sacral therapy practice that resonates with her rhythmic approach to dance, and a part-time freelance writing job that she can do from anywhere. For the last three years Rebecca has curated under the name Home LA, organizing a series of performances that brings dance artists into private residential spaces, and opens them to the public. Inspired by the house concerts her jazz-loving parents hosted in her youth, she connects homes and dancers and asks the artists to respond to the space. Marlee and Rebecca talk about the fluid roles and titles of dancers, how to navigate what you say yes to, and how to be paid for the cultural contribution of making movement work.

Words of wisdom:

“I guess there has to be a degree of personal creative interest, and then what I’m receiving back in terms of support. Sometimes that’s monetary, sometimes that’s relationships, sometimes it’s travel, sometimes it’s exposure- in both ways -being exposed to other parts of the world… With each project I’m trying to get better at having a more wholistic perspective on what I’m giving, and what’s coming back”

“Right now I’m on this thread of wanting to allow my body to lead, more than my mind, and give my body as much attention as I give the thoughts that so want to pervade every moment of my life.”

Projects at have company:

Taking intentional time away from a busy life in LA, Rebecca set out to keep a daily practice of drawing, reading, and moving. She spent time with stillness and listening practices- writing, sitting in meditation, listening to her body, coming back to the breath, allowing herself to feel what she’s feeling and draw what she’s feeling to move through it. Being here allowed her to observe herself in a way she doesn't usually have a chance to, and that will lead to future works.

Rebecca also visited one of our local Grand Rapids treasures, the Meyer May House by Frank Lloyd Wright, and was incredibly inspired by the home and the film that documents the meticulous restoration of the house by Steelcase. The film concludes with the concept that the many detailed parts of the home come together to create a cohesive whole, and this is what Rebecca aims to do with Home LA. She is brainstorming a project that could take place in this house, and Frank Lloyd Wright houses across the country.

Things to be excited about:

Collaborations and performances! This summer Rebecca had the chance to work with other movement artists and visual artists on a durational piece, We are Inseperable There is No Time and a piece for REDCAT's 2016 NOW Festival, titled Forest, and her solo performance, Unfinished. She notes that working in community is a kind of wealth, as she has the chance to collaborate with the creators of music, costumes, sculptures, and spaces.
Stoked on Have Company! In particular the Many Moons workbook by Sarah Gottesdiener, and ceramic plate by The Object Enthusiast AKA Emily Reinhardt (both past resident artists).
Writer heroes! Rebecca is reading the poems of John O'Donahue, and the book Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living by Krista Tippett, who also puts out the amazing podcast On Being.