5 Questions With...Jeff Docimo | Entertainment Community Fund

5 Questions With...Jeff Docimo

This month we catch up with Jeff Docimo, Artistic Director of Isodoc Dance Group, who answers a few questions about "redhills" premiering this August.

Who are your collaborators on this project? 

With this project specifically, collaboration came strictly from members within the group. I direct the work myself but use my dancers to generate movement and share their feelings and input during the creation.
 
Are there other choreographers or performing artists who have influenced your style?
 
Victor Quijada and Anne Plamondon, of RubberbandDance, not only inspired me to start moving, but to create my own work as well. Their company, style, and work are extremely innovative, and continue to push boundaries in the concert dance world. Together they create a quite a tremendous, unique team.
 
What are some of the challenges of making your own work in NYC today?
 
The main challenges we face as an emerging non-profit company in NYC is coming up with the resources to create and present new work. Rehearsals can be costly in the city, and with other expenses such as compensation for the dancers or renting out a venue, it can become difficult to keep producing work. Isodoc Dance Group is currently sponsored by Fractured Atlas, and can receive tax-deductible donations.
 
You’re also in the cast of the long-running immersive dance-theater performance Sleep No More. Has that experience informed your work or process?
 
Being with Sleep No More has definitely influenced and informed my creative process. I am very fortunate to work with such a talented group of people, who care so much about what they are doing, each having so much to offer and share. Since joining the show and company, I have put much more effort into researching and defining the human experience behind the my work. 

What’s your favorite summer destination?
 
During the summer I always enjoy getting back to Connecticut, where I am originally from. I like to travel upstate, where things are spread out, and I can be away with nature. Ideally somewhere I can wake up and create work every day.

 Learn more about Isodoc Dance Group and purchase tickets here.