Created by
Gaspard Louis, Renée Jaworski and Matt Kent
in collaboration with Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, and Zack Weiss

Music: Michael Wall
Costumes: Valerie St Pierre Smith
Lighting: Diane Ferry Williams

Awaken Heart was supported by Stephanie Fenwick and The Ballet Foundation.

About Awaken Heart

The piece explores the love of bonded relationships that transcends familial ties and age through an eternal cycle of love, connection, movement. 

Four dancers float through an atmosphere imbued with the lightness of reminiscence and the excitement of young love - a beautiful reminder of the preciousness of relationships and transience of life. Join us on this captivating journey that will leave your heart dancing and your spirit renewed. 

Awaken Heart seeks to remind us of the transience of youth and the immediacy of now, through the lightness of nostalgia and the bright radiance of reminiscence.

In 1996, two fit men no more than 25 entered a Bodega on 8th Avenue in Manhattan and contemplated which Gatorade color to purchase. Across the street, the renowned Pilobolus Dance Company who was engaged for four weeks across the street at the Joyce Theater. “Are you here for the audition?” “You betcha!” They introduced themselves to each other and mused at the possibility that of the 250 men auditioning, they might be two of the three the company was looking to hire. 

In less than a year, Gaspard Louis and Matt Kent were touring the world together with the company. A couple years later, Renée Jaworski joined the company after an arduous audition process.

These three young dancers created new works together, crossed states and continents together. They saw more of each other than their friends and family. Such is the life of the traveling performer. 

It was hard, and it was trying and lonely, but it was also amazing. A gift. 

The two boys were single. Renée was mother of a beautiful and precocious four year old daughter who often came to the studio and sometimes joined the company on tour. Gaspard would play with her. Throw her in the air. They can see it in their minds, the loft, the pause at the apex, the joyful giggle. 

Now, Renée’s daughter is grown. Gapsard and Matt have children of their own, children who are too big to loft into the air. Coming home from work they are no longer greeted with squeals that “Daddy’s home!” 

These moments live in sepia toned slow motion, in reminiscence and nostalgia, not the way they were but the way they are remembered.

In 2023, we came together with Gaspard Louis to create a new piece, one that would come out of the experience of old friends coming together to make something. No pressure. Little preconception. Light, joyful, playful. A break from the ineluctable adult life of obligation and responsibility,

The team began by giving Pilobolus dancers Hannah, Nate, Marlon, and Zack little prompts. Games really, to draw out subconscious  movement impulses. They played, they moved, and the choreographers paid attention. Relationships emerged and motifs recurred.

Costumes and lighting go hand in hand, and influence each other whether you plan for it or not. Luckily, in Piloboland, we encourage that kind of collaboration, even if it changes the piece (that’s what collaboration is all about!). 

Both Valerie and Diane were integral in developing this piece. Because the piece is lyrical and abstract, while still evoking relatable images, the mind fills in the gaps, as Valerie likes to say. 

Diane and Valerie formed a small collaborative team of their own. They connected often and early to discuss the piece as they saw it through our rehearsal videos. They brought their own interpretation and the piece is richer because of it. 

Their design works synergistically and brings out subtle components of the work. The ageless but changing relationships presented on stage.

Collaborating with choreographers is incredibly similar to my experience accompanying technique classes. The art is in the interpretation of movement, or any other form of language, coming from the teacher and then creating a sonic environment for that movement to live in. 

It was an honor to get to work with Pilabolus after admiring the company’s work for many years. Our process was completely remote, so I leaned heavily on the words and videos that Matt, Gaspard, Renée and others contributed to the collaboration. 

Matt was particularly enjoyable to work with remotely. It is not easy to feel deeply connected with collaborators inside of remote projects. I often felt that Matt and I were at an imaginary tea shop discussing the music ideas and solutions. 

My goal as a composer for dance is to facilitate an environment where we all feel comfortable to go deep into a process. Similar to my nostalgia of being in a 5th floor dance rehearsal space overlooking a crisp morning in downtown Manhattan in the early 2000’s.

Listen to more work by Michael Wall.

Performance images by Steven Pisano