Gabi Shae Zollinger

Artist's Statement

When tasked with a creative final project at the beginning of this semester, I was stumped. I have never fully seen myself as a “creative” person. However, I know that I am a dancer and that I could possibly try to convey my own sense of creativity through choreographing a dance for this final project. My finished project is thus an interpretive dance to a collaboration between the band, The 1975, and world-renowned climate activist, Greta Thurenberg.

At the beginning of the creative process for my choreographing journey, I had originally chosen to opt for a more contemporary/modern piece of music by Leonard Cohen. The song was“You Want it Darker,” and I had an immediate disconnect to it despite feeling as if the song was somewhat related to the meaning behind the class. As I continued searching for music that I feltas if had a “better” connection to the story behind this course, my next choice was using movements from the Fry String Quartet. As a local group, I was excited about the possibility of using their music, especially concerning their own personal connections towards bettering the globe. However, I ultimately stumbled upon Greta Thurneberg’s speech that the 1975 collaborated with to create a musical backing track to. Finding this piece of music elevated a weight off my shoulders as I truly felt as if it encapsulated the story behind the creation of class, and I hope I am able to convey my own version of that story through dance.