Artist Residency
Cohesion Dance Project's 2024 Artist Residency
Supporting artists in the development of new work based on its
2024 Concept = An Exploration of Fractals
Friday, May 17 at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 18 at 4:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, May 19 at 2:00pm
Cohesion Center’s Backstage Theater
(1020 Argyle St, Helena)
$20 adults, $15 students 18 and under
reduced prices available for those in need
Cohesion Dance Project presents its dynamic Spring Guest Artist Residency performance, Fractals in Motion, May 17-19, 2024. A captivating fusion of dance, original music, and stunning visual imagery, the 2024 residency production embarks on a journey into the fascinating world of fractals, where nature's beauty meets mathematical precision.
Fractals in Motion is brought to life by a collaboration of six talented Montana choreographers - Julynn Wildman, Jessica Partridge, Tanya Call, Seely Garrett, Tara McFarland, and Toree Benson – along with a vibrant cast of 20 dancers from across the Helena community and the musical genius of Lenny Eckhardt. For the past three months, contributing artists have gleaned inspiration from the organic forms of fractals in nature, their intricate mathematical patterns, and the artistic wonders they create to sculpt a magical performance like no other.
Don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in the mesmerizing exploration of Fractals in Motion, where dance meets mathematics and imagination knows no bounds!
Seely Garrett, a Montana native, will be graduating in spring 2024 from the University of Montana with degrees in Psychology and Pre-Dance Therapy. She has been training in modern, ballet, and jazz for 18 years. Now, based in Missoula, she mainly focuses on modern contemporary movement and collaborative choreographic processes. She has danced at many renowned summer intensives including Ballet West and American Ballet Theatre. Seely's choreography was most recently showcased in the University of Montana Dance Benefit Concert 2024. In the spring of 2023 and 2024, she co-produced the SPARK! production: The Magic of Making Dance, to expose Missoula’s third graders to the art of making dance. Seely is fond of creative and collaborative processes to create movement phrases that feel good for each individual.
Seely Garrett
Toree Benson received her BFA in Dance at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. While living in Chicago she taught at local studios, community centers, and high schools. Benson also has debut work on The Dance Center Stage, Meraki Dance Company Showcase, and through the Marshall County Arts and Culture Alliance. She has performed at Camping Festival in Paris, France, We Are Collective in Chicago, LINK Dance Festival in Salt Lake City, and West Fest in Missoula, MT. Bensons pedagogue style stems from floor work, release technique, and many others! She strives to have viewers and performers of hers find breath and athleticism within the work.
Toree Benson
Tara McFarland
Tara McFarland is originally from Salmon, ID. She studied dance at Mills College, Arizona State University and holds a BS in Dance from the University of Idaho and an MS in Dance Science from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance (City University of London). She has danced professionally with Bare Bait Dance (BBD), Relay Dance Collective, Converge Dance Festival, Evolving Doors Dance, Louder than Words Dance Theatre, & guested with 3rd Law Dance/Theatre. As a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, Tara strives to integrate dance science and safe dance practice with performance and pedagogy.
Strongly invested in the Montana dance scene, Tara is an adjunct at the University of Montana and teaches dance at Studio M & Ballet Arts Academy in Missoula and has guest taught at studios across the state. Tara spent five years as a Teaching Artist in BBD's MoDE Program, and her choreographic work has been featured in BBD’s Springboard (2018,2021) & UM’s Dance in Concert 2023.
