S7

As we step into our seventh year, I’m energized by how BODYSONNET has grown, stretched, and reshaped itself - always fueled by curiosity and community. I still remember sitting in a Juilliard dorm room in May 2019 with my friend and classmate Sean Lammer, sharing stories of growing up as dancers in rural places. We felt the gap between the dance we witnessed in major cities and the dance that lived in our hometowns, and we dreamed about bridging it. We imagined a company that could bring the generative, collaborative process of contemporary dance into communities where this work might feel entirely new, a company shaped by the people and places it touched. When Mio Ishikawa joined us for BODYSONNET’s first collaboration, her imagination and leadership immediately expanded our vision. I’m grateful she stepped into the role of Associate Artistic Director in 2025.

When the pandemic struck, something unexpected happened: BODYSONNET found itself perfectly positioned for the residency-style creation we had always envisioned. And so our mantra ‘Dance Local’ was born. From June through August of 2020, during the quiet and uncertain months of lockdown, and with the generous support of Antonio Viva, we created three site-specific works on the campus of Walnut Hill School for the Arts. From there, we ventured into a series of unlikely creative journeys from dance films to COVID-safe outdoor performances across the Berkshires, Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, and Mount Sequoyah in Northwest Arkansas.

Now, 24 original performances later, ‘local’ has expanded far beyond geography. Since 2023 our members have been weaving choreography across continents and time zones, gathering periodically to make new work in alternative spaces from San Francisco to Cologne to the Berkshires, and most recently in New York City. I’m thrilled to say BODYSONNET planted roots in NYC in the fall of 2025. Since then we've been rediscovering who we are as a company, forging relationships with the community through our NEWAVE Winter Intensive for advanced and professional dancers, and exploring new intersections of art and technology through Filling the Shell, our collaboration with ARESPHERE.

With the endless inspiration of New York City at our doorstep, we’re stepping boldly toward the next chapter. This spring, we honor the city’s vibrant dance ecosystem with a mixed-bill program at the iconic Judson Church, our first performance as a NYC-based company, curated by Mio and me. The evening features three works from the BODYSONNET repertoire: the duet Mio and I first performed in Hudson in 2021; my solo x dance, previously shared in the Berkshires and the Bay Area; and say i am you, our newest addition, originally created for Post:ballet in 2022. The  performance on May 23rd brings together fifteen incredible artists, many of whom are joining BODYSONNET for the first time. Beyond the spring production, we’re deep into planning the next iteration of NEWAVE and developing a new, large-scale immersive dance-theater project that will tour multiple communities.

As we enter this exciting season of creation, I’m reaching out to invite your support and your partnership in shaping BODYSONNET’s future. We are raising $17,000 to support our artists, our venue, and the operational needs that will make these 2026 projects possible. Your contribution directly fuels inspired, transformative, community-rooted work. Since 2019, 75% of our budget has gone toward paying artists a commitment we are proud to uphold.

Thank you for your generosity, your enthusiasm, and your belief in BODYSONNET as we embark on our largest local residency yet: New York City.

Let’s keep dancing local,

Moscelyne ParkeHarrison

Mio Ishikawa and Moscelyne ParkeHarrison

Photo by Audrey Chou