Agility, Beauty, Transformation: DragonFly Dance Experiment

Featured Member Profile

Annapolis-based DragonFly Dance Experiment has performed their innovative works in New York City and Washington, D.C., as well as in their home town. Artistic director and co-founder Megan Morse Jans, the recipient of a 2009 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Choreography, describes her group’s works and inspirations in this Featured Member interview…

Megan, would you please describe your company’s repertoire – is there a common thread? Who choreographs the works that DragonFly Dance Experiment (DDE) performs?

DDE’s repertoire is a diverse collection of experiments. Our central modality is modern/contemporary dance, however we have also integrated aerial dance and multimedia into certain pieces as well. I am the primary choreographer, but the company works collaboratively so that all artists/dancers are actively contributing to the development of the movement. DDE also works with other local choreographers as well as taking on Artistic Associates who set works on the company.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

Our biggest influences are really our dancers, their individual styles and their life experiences. We work collaboratively and we believe multiple heads are better than one. Thematically we try to create works that are both personal as well as current. For example, we are starting a new work we’re calling “Thread” which is based on how connected we are as a society. We’re staging various flash mobs around the area, filming them and then integrating the video into the performance. Each flash mob will have a personal theme related to the dancers performing it.

Where is your preferred place to perform?

We love to do site-specific work, as well as work in small theaters. The closer you can be to your audience, the better.

You had a baby about a year ago – how did that experience inform your dance?

Wow…that’s a big question. Do you have about an hour? Having Jacob has changed everything; he has inspired me in ways that I cannot even explain. I have felt an explosion of creativity since his birth and it has become important to me to make my work matter, so that one day he can be proud of what I have done. I love to include little movements in my actual choreography that he does. In “Bittersuite”, I choreographed little hand gestures that he did as a five month old. It is true that my body is different, getting back into “dancing shape” has been quite a challenge, and as a director I have no choice but to remain extremely organized, but on a whole I have found that being a parent has only added to my work.

What has been your greatest success to date?

I would consider this past year to be my greatest success. I became a mother; I received a 2009 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Choreography; I brought together a fantastic group of dancers; I staged Dock Side Dance, one of the largest artistic happenings in downtown Annapolis; we have had a great performance season so far; and everyone is happy and healthy. All in all, not a bad year.

How do you use your Fractured Atlas membership?

We are currently fiscally sponsored, and we have also obtained event insurance through Fractured Atlas.

Is there any advice that you would give to a dancer at the start of their career?

Try everything, don’t turn down a gig, make sure you know who you are because it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle. When I graduated with my degree in dance, I had dreams of going to dance for a major company. Well, after taking class and auditioning for several large companies, I quickly learned that I really wanted to have a larger roll in the creation of new work. I began to work with local D.C. choreographers and companies and was very happy. I did everything from swinging on a trapeze, to seriously innovative modern dance, to performing with Weird Al. It was an amazing learning experience.

Do you have a pipe-dream performance?

I have tons of pipe-dream performances. I would love to stage a site-specific work on the mall in D.C., a serious repertoire concert at the Kennedy Center, and I would also love to take the work on the road as well, perhaps to the Joyce Soho.

What’s next on your professional horizon?

We are about to embark on creating two major works as well as a collaboration with the Anne Arundel Community College Symphony Orchestra.

Visit DragonFly Dance Experiment’s website to read their blog and see more photos, and/or become their fan on Facebook, where you can find updates about future performances.

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Photos (top to bottom):
1) “Teeter” by Danica Kalemdaroglu and Megan Morse Jans, performed by Megan Morse Jans at Dock Side Dance. Photo by Pam Bolig.
2) “Covet” by Megan Morse Jans, performed by Megan Morse Jans and Kristi Schaffner at Triskelion. Photo by John Radway.
3) “Echo”, choreographed and performed by Danica Kalemdaroglu and Megan Morse Jans at Triskelion. Photo by John Radway.