an interview with milenka aurelio

1. Tell us a little about your dance-journey? When did you realize you were attuned to how emotion can be embodied and translated into movement?

I started dancing around ten years old after our mom wanted us to do more outside the house. I started ballet with my older sister until she decided she didn't want to continue. I stayed, however I asked my mom if she could put me into Hip- Hop and Jazz. I saw the beautiful company members at Hubbard Street and hoped one day to be like them. I think I realized the value of dance and how it allows you to embody words that cannot be said, when I was going through a fairly rough patch in my life. It felt as if I had lost control over my being, except for dance. It grounded me, allowed me to feel the emotions that I haven't allowed myself to feel. It became my escape from everyone including myself.  

 

2. How did you encounter the convergence of addiction and the idea of a maze in the poetry Michael offered us?

Michael's voice had me reflecting a lot while dancing. Yes I had let go, however as his words rang in my ears it truly made me think about my very own life and the struggles that I had/ am dealing with. Addiction and its recovery is not a one and done, oftentimes it's easier to continue with the addiction than sitting down and realizing what exactly is going on and how to get clean. “What if the beast wears my face” resonated with me because you are your own enemy.. In a maze, struggling with addiction; if you don't stop to think, observe, reflect and hopefully get help it may only get worse. 

 

3. What bodily movements did you gravitate toward first.... secondly... and thirdly... in expressing your relationship to the poetic work? And pushing it past itself, transforming it into dance?

I gravitate more toward slow and flowy, with a funky finish. (Just came up with that.) My movement is very internal, I don’t do huge jumps or elaborate turns, my movement comes from where in my body I feel the sound. While dancing, Viper’s track was predominantly house which I love but don't necessarily have the full foundation of yet. Therefore I gravitated more toward a sharper and more eclectic way of moving. Lastly, I attempted some House/ Hip-Hop, with my own little twist, of course. 

 

4. How did you work through the confusion typical of the experience of journeying through a maze? Given the twists and turns of this project.

I am going to be so honest, the first few emails and meetings I was completely lost. I wondered how I was supposed to dance in a maze made from wood… because that is how I understood that we were doing this project. Then I received Michael’s spoken poem, where again I began to think how in tarnation do I dance to spoken word?? I prefer some melodies. Working through confusion isn't too bad of an experience for me, I am a ver good observer and think it’s best to fully hear someone before asking questions. As we continued with our meetings, sharing ideas and visions everything became clearer. I hate the saying time fixes, because it doesn't but you see what's around you, understand what you can and with time everything will fall into place. I still have to remind myself of that.  

 

5. Where did you need to let go? How did your dedication to the craft of dance help you overcome challenges in responding to the work?

During the filming process, I had to remind myself that I am in a space where it is in fact okay to let go. I danced for approximately 20 minutes for one take and as Michael's voice filled the air, somewhere around the tenth time listening to the track I noticed a shift in my movement. It was no longer my own to control. I tend to dance with caution, injuries aside, I prefer safety. There is a very clear moment, hopefully it was filmed, where I fully and 100% let go. I am not too sure of what, or what I was holding in, however Michaels words spoke to me in ways I didn't think I needed to hear. I have been trained by dance professors who told us that in the end, choreography is no longer yours. Yes you are doing it but your mind is no longer in control. I think my dedication to my art is so deeply rooted into my own beliefs; once you hit a standstill, push and fight and cry and be angry but never, no matter what you do, give up.

 

6. What did it feel like dancing to the poem and Viper’s DJ mix?

 It was freeing. I had to allow myself to actually get into the movement and listen to the music with my brain and not with my ears. I felt swirly, dancing, I was transported into the labyrinth, not necessarily lost but more so okay with where in the labyrinth I ended up.

 

7. How would you describe your experience collaborating with Michael K. and Michael F.?

Collaborating with Michael K. and Michael F. was nothing short of exhilarating. Each of us carried our own visions; distinct, personal, and often unknowable to the others. The beauty of the process lived in that mystery: three minds moving in different directions, yet somehow converging. The challenges of scheduling and navigating time differences only heightened the intensity, creating an energy that helped fuel my dancing for this piece.  What could have been obstacles instead became part of the creative pulse, pushing us to adapt, to trust, and to weave our separate imaginations into something larger than any of us could have envisioned alone.

 

8. Did you learn anything about yourself in this process?

I came to realize a few profoundly personal truths, the most striking being that I have not yet healed from recent trauma, though for some time I believed I had. Healing, of course, is never linear; it bends and circles back on itself, much like the very maze we have been exploring. In light of my recent obstacles, the piece took on a heightened resonance. Its focus on addiction became not just a theme, but a mirror, reflecting the cycles of struggle, endurance, and the elusive hope of release.

 

9. Your movements are breathtaking, and cut to the bone of feeling, how did you accomplish this combination?

Thank you, I believe a lot of it comes with letting go. I was taught to finish movement, that it’s cutthroat. As I entered college, we are taught to allow our bodies to do the movement to feel it and move from where it is. I am still learning to allow my movement to flow freely through me. I am allowing music to move through me rather than moving through the music. 

 

10. Did you find that the spirits of your dance mentors were in the room, as you danced, or were you flying “solo” so to speak?

Absolutely. Not only the spirits of my dance mentors but of my family, people I have danced with, memories. Dance is spiritual, it’s healing, and I carry everyone and everything with me all day, that allows me to move as I do, and allows me to move with HOW I feel. 

 

11. What does the word “unwoven” remind you of, or signify to you?

Opened. In a way I think unwoven is forcefully unravelled, but not because of someone. Simply because you want to be better. I also see a large basket of yarn and crochet and knitting needles. 

 

I would like to express my neverending gratitude to Michelle, Michael K, Michael F, Victor Crum and the entirety of the Unwoven Team. I am forever grateful.