Image: Cooperative Performance - cooperativeperformance.org
Sarah Moore "One Universe"
Sarah Moore "One Universe"
For most dancers, the movements of the human body are the sole canvas on which they create their art. But for dancer Sarah Moore, movement is just the beginning, a framework and energy source through which ideas and passion crowd together with social activism, creating something that stretches beyond mere dance performance.
“I always wanted to be the Laurie Anderson of dance,” the Milwaukee performance artist and self-described “wild woman” says, referencing the avant-garde musician, composer and filmmaker. “I call myself the dancer with the mouth.”
This month Moore will wrap her many talents, including dance, narrative, poetry and song into a one-woman show called One Universe, part of local theater company Cooperative Performance’s spring season. The show will run April 8-16 for five performances at Sunstone Studios MKE. Guitarist Ionlion will provide the music.
The show’s thesis compares a single human life to the universe as a whole, says Moore, who with her sister Claire Moore also owns Pink House Studio, a yoga, meditation and eclectic movement space in the city’s Riverwest neighborhood. The dancer’s commitment to social activism and passion for storytelling combine into a multi-faceted interactive narrative designed to engage the audience with the realization of how they align with the universe and, in many ways, are individual universes unto themselves.
“I used to lead songs at Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference and was asked to tell stories.,” says Moore, who holds a dance degree from UWM. “Since I’m a mover I decided to weave them together with a little movement.”
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Ecosystems through Art
Moore’s dance background includes performances with Milwaukee troupes Wild Space and Foothold. Following her degree, she also spent time dancing in San Francisco as well as exploring the Bay Area’s more radical social ideas. Since returning to Milwaukee she has become a social activist and is dedicated to local permaculture efforts to create more natural ecosystems within the city.
Moore’s new work builds on her past experiences in both art and life, involving a much higher, more expansive concept. “I decided to do a larger piece about life, interweaving it with the origin of the universe as we understand it,” she explains. “It’s a very full piece, and very eclectic. I have a broad artistic palette and anything that I can do on stage that’s socially appropriate is in my box.”
There are a lot of parallels in Moore’s show between human life and the life of the universe, comparing the relative trauma of human birth to the proposed “big bang” theory of the universe’s origin. She explores the human predicament through art, which she says is often the only way such difficult conversations can be held.
“In One Universe I am using my life as an infinitesimal sample to try and understand the bigger picture, “Moore says. “We all want to share our stories and try and return the gifts we were given to the world.
“I am just making my sound. This is what I know how to do,” she adds. “I can sing, write and be vulnerable. Every single one of us has an amazing, beautiful and important story to tell. I am just adding mine to the universal conversation.”
Sarah Moore’s One Universe runs April 8–16 at Sunstone Studios MKE, 127 E. Wells St. Content warning: The performance contains nudity and mature themes, including violence. Tickets are $25 and can be preordered at www.cooperativeperformance.org.
