A BENDING OF ITS OWN KIND

USING ART IN ALL ITS FORMS TO COMMUNICATE THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF THE CHRONIC PAIN COMMUNITY

Started in 2017 by choreographer Rebekah Hampton Barger as a way to explore her experience with severe scoliosis & to reconcile her relationship with her body, “BENDING” has expanded into other parts of the chronic pain community to become a source of expression as well as a way to connect resources back into the community. 

CURRENT

 

“It’s no coincidence that “aspiration” means both hope and the act of breathing”

(Ted Chaing)

This spring FALL is collaborating with chatterbird on a new expansion of Bending that explores the connections between hope and breath, and what each of those means in the face of living with a chronic condition.

The music and movement have been developed separately, with both the choreographer and composers drawing inspiration from a discussion between five individuals who each live with a form of hypermobility disorder, along with several other comorbidities.

The composers of chatterbird will perform a structured improvisation alongside the dancers on May 19 in Nashville, TN at Emerson Hall.

The musicians' performance will be captured and incorporated into a performance of the full-length production of A Bending Of Its Own Kind on June 1 and 2 in Knoxville, TN, hosted by Dragonfly Aerial Arts and Circus Studio. 

Tickets: Ticket for both programs are offered on a Pay-Your-Wage system. Pay-your-wage is a progressive, honor-system-based sliding scale admission model for live events. The notion: Pay what you make in an hour. With this model, artistic revenue rises as average wages rise, but performances remain accessible and affordable for all.

SUFFER IN SILENCE

This project explores the experience of military veterans with chronic pain. The stories we gather by interviewing individual veterans will serve as inspiration for the creation of a new dance work that will premiere in 2024.

This work also includes funding from Metro Arts Nashville to join with a Drama Therapist & Certified Trauma Professional to develop therapeutic workshops to be offered in partnership with middle Tennessee veteran support groups.

Please let us know if any veterans in your life might be willing to share with us about their experiences.

PROJECT history

 

  • Originally commissioned by OZ Arts Nashville in 2017, the full-length production of “A Bending Of Its Own Kind” premiered to a sold-out audience. In addition to collaborations with fashion designer Caitlin Stolley of Lily Guilder Design, musicians Derek Pearson & Ryan LaFave, & live painting by visual artist Mary Mooney, this performance featured the debut of our invented aerial apparatus, the SpineVine - designed by metal artist Robert Cortner to mirror Rebekah’s spinal x-rays.

  • 5 years from the original production that focused primarily on Rebekah’s personal journey, this new iteration expanded the framework to look at the experience of the broader chronic pain community.

    Adding a layer of irony, an intense flare related to Rebekah’s chronic health issues kept her from performing. But in a testament to the power of community, the rest of the cast rallied to build an alternate version & the show went on.

  • FALL is collaborating with chatterbird on a new expansion of the project that explores the connections between hope and breath, and what each of those means in the face of living with a chronic condition.
    chatterbird musicians/composers will perform a structured improvisation alongside the dancers on May 19 in Nashville, TN at Emerson Hall. The musicians' performance will be captured and incorporated into a performance of the full-length production of A Bending Of Its Own Kind on June 1 and 2 in Knoxville, TN, hosted by Dragonfly Aerial Arts and Circus Studio.

more bending

 

“WHO’S TO SAY THIS WILL MAKE MORE SENSE THE NEXT TIME THROUGH”

This dance film examines life with chronic illness & seeks to communicate the experience of those in the chronic pain community. Development of this work began by gathering stories from 20 individuals who live with a variety of chronic conditions. Audra Almond-Harvey, a writer & performance artist who lives with several chronic illnesses, meditated on the responses we received & wrote what she describes as a “love letter to patients & healers”. Then composer Dan Wright, another artist with a chronic condition, created an underscore that beautifully supports Audra’s words. 

During the live premiere of the piece in June 2022, life imitated art when an intense flare related to choreographer Rebekah Barger’s chronic health issues kept her from performing. But in a testament to the power of community, the rest of the cast rallied to build an alternate version & the show went on. In collaboration with filmmaker Michael Mallicote, we created this film as a composite that reflects both the original choreography, as well as the beautiful ways that the rest of the dancers stepped in to hold space in Rebekah’s absence.

“IN THE SHADOW OF THE CURVE”

In collaboration with Martin O’Conner Dance and Fine Art Photography, we created a series of photos that highlight the strength & resiliency of these bodies that we inhabit.

The photographs feature three individuals living with varying levels of scoliosis: Abby Welch (Assistant Producer; mild scoliosis), Rebekah Barger (Artistic Director/Choreographer; severe, non-surgical scoliosis), and Becky Welch (Abby’s mother; severe, post-surgical scoliosis).

This collaboration allowed the artists to look at the generational aspects of living with a chronic condition and how it impacts those closest to them. The ultimate goal of this project is to build empathy with the hope of facilitating a richer understanding of each other’s experiences, and for those with chronic illness or physical challenges to not be seen as "other."


A collection from the series was exhibited at the Nashville Parthenon Gallery from October 2022 through January 2023