Art Omi: Planting Seeds for Creative Community

A note from Andrew:

Art Omi: Planting Seeds for Creative Community

This summer, I took part in the Art Omi: Dance Residency, where dance artists from around the world came together for two and a half weeks — not to create a polished performance, but to explore, connect, and collaborate.

Art Omi fully supported us — from beautiful lodging and catered meals to bikes to ride around the sculpture park and even access to a pool. That care mattered. It created the kind of environment where we could focus on the work behind the work: building trust, sharing practices, and being in community.

We began by introducing our work through short workshops and 3–7 minute sharings. It gave us a chance to learn each other's artistic languages and get a feel for the energy we each brought. From there, we spent the rest of our time exploring different collaborations. I ended up in three.

One that stood out most was with Tadhi, an artist from Tanzania. Together, we explored the dynamics of masculine and feminine energies — using improvisation, movement, and the space (both an outdoor platform and a small work room with a couple of durable long tables) as a way to ask deeper questions and feel into our Rasa.

As one of the older artists in the group, no longer performing regularly, it meant a lot to see how my work — using site-specific improvisational dance to help people connect to their rasa and move through trauma — felt right at home in this space. The process-centered, inclusive approach I use with communities held up in a room full of highly trained, global artists.

Moving Rasa helped me stay grounded through it all. It wasn't something I brought in as a method, but as a way of being — a way of listening, noticing, and connecting. The whole experience felt like planting a seed. I know it will grow.