MEET MILANA AERNOVA
S P A C E Rising is an iteration of our S P A C E residency program, designed specifically to support our (R)evolution Mentorship Interns. Meet Milana Aernova! And make sure to join us for S P A C E Rising Showcase on October 10 & 11 at 7pm.
How has your approach to dance creation changed or been different during your Residency?
My approach to dance creation has evolved during this residency in several ways. In general, I approach dance through a somatic and improvisational lens. While this remains central to my creative dance practice, I have increasingly embraced a collaborative approach, inviting mentors in movement and science to help me understand my movement habits and expand my movement vocabulary. I’ve been working on developing a method I call “improvWrecking,” inspired by the concept of “choreoWrecking,” in which I improvise while witnesses offer one or two words as prompts to shape or revise the quality of my movement. They might introduce prompts like “small pauses”, “contrast”, “placement”, or “spine”. This process has been incredibly insightful and has allowed me to be more creative in my responses. From these experiences, I’ve begun experimenting with scores that explore attention, moving from internal spaces (such as the hollow body, heartspace, and backspace) through the center to the spine and head.
I’ve also been exploring the idea of the 3D body and possibilities within the kinosphere. In particular, I’ve been working with the principle of sound as space, moving through a soundscape with the understanding that my body and the sound are both part of this environment and are therefore transformed by it. This approach has led to a significant transformation in how I move and engage with dance within a sound container.
What inspirations, launching points, or ideas are you working with for your piece for the S P A C E residency? How has that developed over the course of your residency process?
My inspiration for this piece came from an experience where I was dancing while having a conversation with my boyfriend. At that moment, I was struck by the contrast between how my mind was engaged in conversation and how my body, and even particles around me, seemed to move in response to sound. I connected this experience to my fascination with cymatics, the visualization of sound waves, and began thinking about how sound can guide and generate movement.
From this initial starting point, I’ve been exploring how to visualize geometric and particle transformations using TouchDesigner, which allows me to create interactive dance visuals. I’ve also been learning more about quantum mechanics and the physics of sound, and how sound affects the body.
Other than dance, what mediums are important to the overall theme of your piece? This could be music, projection, spoken word, visual etc. What role will these aspects play?
Other than dance, generative visuals, projection, and live improvised music are central to the overall theme of my piece. I love using TouchDesigner as a tool to connect ideas of movement and dance with generative visuals, exploring how my body’s motion can influence and interact with visual forms. Through TouchDesigner and projection, I can visually convey, in real time, the subtle changes happening within the body, creating an almost feedback-loop effect that reflects how I move.
A live music artist is also essential to this piece. Rather than having sound play through a PA system, the music and dance engage in a dynamic conversation between two humans. The spontaneity of the music or the movement introduces moments of surprise, anticipation, and delight, as our creative energies continuously influence and transform one another. With a live musician, I can feel the vibrations in a way that cannot be replicated by playing a song through speakers. As a mover, I sense my body being moved, and there is an energetic connection that informs and shapes the movement in real time.