(ii) Imaginary Island is an experimental dance company started by Kristen Stake and Hannah Wasielewski located in Portland, Maine. Imaginary Island is a nod to Ram Island Dance (a modern company active from 1968-2001). Located somewhere in the Casco Bay, Imaginary Island is home to the dance that can’t be erased because it exists in our collective imagination. Their work is influenced by the trials and tribulations of Contact Improvisation, the "fake healing" scores taught by Keith Hennessy, the effervescent spirit of (d)ancestor Kathleen Hermesdorf, and the experiential community gatherings of Anna Halprin. Through this project, they embark on a lifelong dance process centered around healing, grieving, and improvisation.

Their work has been performed at SPACE Gallery, the ICA in Boston as a part of New England Foundation for the Art’s Regional Dance Development Initiative, Payson Park in collaboration with Pamela Moulton presented by TEMPOarts, at Hewnoaks in collaboration with Ashley Page, and at a wedding. We have been supported by Hewnoaks Artist Residency, New England Foundation for the Arts, and the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

VISIT IMAGINARYISLAND.ART

Images by Kerry Constantino