Research Trip: Day 1

Today was the first day of our research trip in Flint.  I'm here with Brooke and Dot, two University of Iowa undergraduate dance students.  We spent a large portion of our day at Sloan Museum on the Flint Cultural Center campus.  This history museum includes a permanent exhibit dedicated to the history of Flint.  We spent about two hours moving through the museum collecting both movement traces and written observations about Flint and its relationship to the concept of "The American Dream."

Afterward, we spent some time in the studio processing the experience through discussion, writing, and (of course!) moving.  We developed three phrases based on the movement traces we collected.  One relationship that is beginning to interest us is the dichotomy of task-oriented bodies "on the line" and the development of the identity of the Flint community.

Tomorrow our work is going to be more "site-oriented" as we give greater attention to the physical identity of Flint and how it has been shaped by industry and time.