The Stamina of Utopia 

Hana van der Kolk and Erica Dawn Lyle

Our improvised movement practice began in spring of 2021 with Erica Dawn on drums and Hana free dancing—but not necessarily to the beats. We called this performance, "The Stamina of Utopia," after a line in Bernadette Mayer's book length poem, Utopia. We performed this way both privately together and in front of audiences for a couple years. When it was not possible to be in the same place, we also began doing these improv sessions “psychically." For a psychic session, we would send each other a brief digital check in with some things we were thinking about or feeling at that time — in order to share what were each coming into the practice with physically, spiritually, emotionally, politically etc. — and then we would both dance and sing simultaneously but remotely for a pre-arranged period of time. When we finished we would do some immediate free writing about what came up for us on our end during the dance which we would share via text message or email. After our last live performance in front of an audience in 2023, we decided we might try to abandon the drums. Our practice since has consisted of us simultaneously dancing and singing — sometimes together in the woods near our homes in Mahican, Mohawk, and Haudenosaunee lands (Columbia County) and at other times remotely from wherever we are in our travels.

Stamina of Utopia @ Clouds Gathering
Mt. Lebanon, NY
August 2021