I dance from the soul. Based only on emotions and feelings is how I move my body. Dance is a language that is driven by the waters of human essence. Thus, it is my duty to enrich the spirit of dance as it flows through my veins – an art of expression that functions physically not verbally: no mouths, only bodies. I communicate without communicating, speak without speaking, and talk without talking. The angst, excitement, fear, insecurity, happiness, envy, love, hate, and all others are exposed as I live for the craft. I vow one thousand times to create a temporary escapade where nothing matters in the world but a passionate dance. If my work has touched at least one person, I have done my job as an artist.
As an African American male dancer, I have a personal story to tell. I constantly battle racism, gender norms, and occupational standards. Nevertheless, my presence has purpose and my craft has meaning. Through time and space, I manipulate my limbs to speak the language. Consciousness, masculinity, strength, struggle, and passion are incorporated to tell the story. I play with movement texture: hard and soft, thick and thin, aggressive and passive, energetic and lazy. Each texture is inspired by an internal feeling, which is expressed externally. Using my technical training, ranging from Ballet to African dance, the movement is then stylized to create performance – aesthetic quality. Finally, the human emotional experience is emphasized through the aesthetic quality.
Currently, my work emphasizes coping with death. The feeling of losing someone you held near and dear is a tragic loss. You can no longer hold or touch the person. All that is left is what used to be. There are only memories – moments of the past. Anguish and reality strike; suddenly, you realize you can no longer see the person anymore. Existence is only in your imagination. And as the sun has set, there will never be another sunrise. Despite the mourning, life goes on and light shines through the dark. I am attempting to create a work enabling audience members to know that life is too short and precious to not be lived. For our time will come as well. We must live for now because tomorrow is a sun that may not rise.
Desmond Cotton 