Welcome back and happy Volume 3 Process Fam!
We start our volume off with the multidisciplinary artist, Mitsu Salmon. I first saw Mitsu perform at Links Hall back in 2017. The best way I can describe Mitsu’s work is that it’s patient. Mitsu will make you listen. There is both honesty and bravery in her movement. My brain and my body were connected in a really beautiful and unique way as an audience member. Mitsu makes you slow down and really digest the gift that she's giving you on stage.
Today, we'll be talking about her latest work Orchid: Dormancy and Becoming, which weaves together motifs of mythology, heritage, imperialism, botany, sexuality, racism, and more. Mitsu performed this work publicly right in the middle of the pandemic at the Ragdale Foundation and in today's co-host, Sara Zalek’s backyard in Humboldt Park. I’m really looking forward to talking to them both about the process of making this live performance during the pandemic.
My co-host is interdisciplinary artist Sara Zalek. She's invested and curious about every piece and square inch of Chicago dance. Their work is “Rooted in physical investigations of trauma, resilience, and transformation, their work is intimate, raw, poetic.” Sara is also one of my favorite people to see in an audience during a performance. They have this contagious joy when it comes to movement.