(Photos by Rocky Howard Yap, taken at KONDWI)
Daloy Dance Company’s newest member, Chloe Alcid answers some questions about her life as a contemporary dancer and her connection with the group. Beautiful, flexible and strong as a performer, Chloe is a wonderful addition to Daloy DC. Meet her in person on February 14 6pm at Transcendance- A Daloy Movement Jam, with opening performance by K.Go from Brooklyn, NYC.
When and how did you become interested in contemporary dance?
I first became interested in contemporary datarted watching ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ at 13 years old but I really fell in love with contemporary dance when I began studying it in college at NYU Tisch.
What do you do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I like to read, write, watch movies, practice yoga, listen to music, read/watch/learn about random things on the internet, and play with different crafts (e.g. knitting, crochet, makeup, jewellery making).
Photos grabbed from Chloe’s FB account
What do you wish for your future as a dancer?
In the immediate future, I wish to continue dancing for as long as I can. I’m 27 now so I know, realistically, that I only have a few years left as a professional dancer, maybe up to 10 years if I keep my body in good condition. But while I’m dancing, I want to continue building my post-dance career as a movement teacher and start studying other areas within the movement realm that are of interest to me, such as bodywork and movement therapy.
Which choreographers inspire you?
Crystal Pite, Pina Bausch, Emma Portner, Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Damien Jalet, Wade Robson, and Sonya Tayeh.
Is there anything you would like to share with the future generation of dancers?
Something I would advise young dancers to do is to take care of their mental health. I’m glad that a larger conversation about mental health is happening in society, and more recently in the dance community, because I think it is so important for a highly mental art form such as dance. It is a conversation that I wish was around when I was a young dancer. It’s so easy to be beaten down by the critical nature of dance so the more you care for your mental health, as well as your physical health, the better it will be in the long run.
In your career as a dancer, have you experienced collaborations between different art forms?
The most common collaboration I have experienced is between dance and film. In a theatre setting, I have also experienced collaboration between dance, costume design and set design.
Is Daloy the only company you’re working with? How do you manage your schedule?
I am also a member of REDph. I have organized my schedule so that most of my teaching work happens during the day, which means that I leave evenings open for dance rehearsals as much as possible.
How is it for you, as a dancer, to be based in Manila?
I’m still fairly new to the dance community here in Manila, seeing as I lived in New York for 6 years and only started dancing in Manila in 2018. But so far, being a dancer here in Manila has been both amazing and challenging. There are so many crazy talented dancers and choreographers (and creatives in general) here, so I’ve been loving discovering all these people and exploring different classes, shows and events. The challenging aspect of being a dancer here is that there seems to be so little money to be made in it as compared to the US and, obviously, the trouble of getting around because of traffic.
What impact has Daloy Dance Company had on the dance scene here in Manila?
Even though the contemporary dance community in Manila is relatively small in proportion to the dance community as a whole, I’ve found that Daloy Dance Company is a name that is well-known and well-respected across the board. Dancers, contemporary or otherwise, and artists know of Daloy and of Ea Torrado and that speaks to what I perceive to be an initiative to be involved in the larger arts community, to create an environment where dancers of all disciplines can come together to expand their movement practice, and even to be accessible to non-dancers as a way to connect with their bodies and heal.
Photos by Rocky Howard Yap
Taken at KONDWI
Meet Chloe Alcid in person on February 14 6pm at KONDWI—- Daloy DC is doing Transcendance- A Daloy Movement Jam, with opening performance by K.Go from Brooklyn, NYC.
Transcendance is part of FRINGE MNL Festival and 10 Days of Art by Art Fair PH
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