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artist statement

My work is constantly evolving from a place of curiosity of emotions and the aesthetic of warmth. How warmth can be pleasurable, yet anxious and extreme and where warmth falls in the body. I explore the complexity of in between spaces and the space between falling and floating. Improvisation roots my creative process where I can be curious with myself and find  pathways the body can paint in space, while also exploring the complexity of emotions. In my process, I lean into writing practices and speaking in order to allow the mind and body to meet with one another. I’m interested in the poetics of words and how they resonate and move through the body. Incorporating natural elements into my work is essential to allow the work to breathe. I create work that never feels quite resolved, it is always dancing on the edge of outcome inviting the viewer into the fullness of the almost spaces with the dancers. I want the work to be something that others can look at and relate to. We experience life in our own way, yet find intersections of moments. By moving we can set our insides on fire.  

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Emily Bernard is a passionate mover, maker, and educator based in Philadelphia. She is pursuing her BFA in dance at the University of the Arts (2021) under the artistic direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. While dancing in Philadelphia, Emily has had the honor of performing works by Fana Fraser, Paul Matteson, Curt Haworth, Sidra Bell, Jesse Zaritt & Shayla-Vie Jenkins, Katie Swords Thurman, and Tommie-Waheed Evans. Emily’s personal work explores the intimacy of touch and thoughts and how closeness resonates in both the body and in memory. Her work is rooted in a desire for warmth and how we as humans radiate from the inside out. 

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