A few questions with Ellen Lyle of Open Collision Dance

Eyedrum’s latest art exhibit, Obscura, is inspiring other artistic mediums to express themselves. This Sun., April 11, Open Collision Dance performs new work in conjunction with Obscura. The exhibit plays with ideas of light and darkness. The dancers will migrate throughout the space much like a gallery walk. We caught up with Open Collision Dance founder and choreographer, Ellen Lyle, to find out a little more about the event.

What is Open Collision dance and who’s behind it?

Open Collision Dance is something that I founded back in the fall of 2009. It is sort of a collective of younger artists, a lot of college students and recent graduates just getting together and making new work and working in an experimental fashion and then exploring new environments. So in the fall of 2009 we did a performance using a prayer labyrinth. It was a stone prayer labyrinth and a large open field surrounded by trees. The goal is kind of to get out into the community and just give new audiences a chance to view dance and view art.

What’s your overall approach to dance?

The approach I take is partially collaborative in that I make the movement with the dancers stemming off of some idea or image. I would say the style is kind of a combination of my background being in both ballet and modern. And I would also say the work has a very emotional history behind it and that tends to fuel the choreography.