Blood Moon (2015)
Photo by PTM
Cordoba Center for the Arts | Golden Belt
Durham, NC
About five years prior to The Hi-Wire Brewing Co. finding its way into Durham’s Golden Belt campus, the massive warehouse - once in the heart of Durham’s manufacturing zone - was home to a bustling modern dance scene. The space was dirty, the roof leaked, but lights worked, and it was enormous. Choreographers who were able to get a hold of, negotiate & come to agreement with the owner, Cordoba (Center for the Arts), were given more-less full permission to transform the space into an alternative performance venue. And, that, we did for Blood Moon.
“Blood Moon is the product of my second collaboration with aerial rig operator, Andrew Munro. It investigates the integration of aerial dance and contemporary movement vocabularies to speak on the value of femaleness and personal choice. While the title is rooted in an astrological phenomenon and metaphysical implications, Blood Moon was used as a metaphor for female empowerment that can be unveiled when, even for a moment, there is a push back on invisible, systemic forces that are experienced in the day-to-day.”
-Renay Aumiller
Aumiller brought the idea for the piece to Weise in December 2014, and in only five months manifested the vision and work of RAD and aerial rigger, Andrew Munro. Proxemic’s role for this work primarily involved marketing, communications, fundraising, ticketing and front-of-house management. Beyond choreography and technical management, Renay hustled the venue contract, insurance nuances, artist scheduling and content creation for said fundraising. Shout out to Quinn Czejkowski on wardrobe and general marketing assistance, too!) We also mounted a fundraiser preview-night just two months before the premiere and that was a production in and of itself. All of this to highlight the elements that go into independent artist production (which for many artists is their main way to present their work to the public).