Daylight

Dancing the Underground Networks: 

What does it mean to be buried and tucked away? To be forgotten even though you are right there, to be replaced by a new system that suits another. Believe it or not, we human beings are not the only ones to have had parts of ourselves hidden away to better fit the mold. We have done this to our waterways. We have cemented over them and forgotten that they were a part of our topography. Many of these waterways have been forgotten by their inhabitants. Even though they are right under our feet, powering our water source and our sewage, or tucked away behind industrialization, we don’t know their names or the impact they once had on our environment.

Dancing the Underground seeks to remind New York City communities that there is water right under our feet. We will be bringing to light these bodies of water and the environmental impact they once had. Many of these bodies of water lead back to the East Estuary and the Hudson River, which are currently dumping grounds. Themes being explored are purpose, empowerment, replacement, restoration, awareness and healing. 

Dancing the Underground, the act of resurfacing bodies of water to restore it as a part of our ecology is an important theme in the work. We have achieved a metaphorical daylighting through performance, such as dance and storytelling. We plan to continue leading groups of community members throughout the five boroughs and beyond to explore these forgotten bodies of water. Participants will leave with a deeper connection to their environment and specifically, the bodies of water that are hidden, yet still active in their neighborhoods. 

Written by: Jenna Belabed and Chris Bisram