Things Left Unsaid.artistic direction by Alexis Elyzia Henry.
danced by Rianna Corben, Rai Crabtree, Frankie McCormack, Abbie Forward, Jemma Fitzpatrick & Bryony Duffield
If you could have one last conversation, what would you say?
Encapsulating the notion that we rarely talk about the love we want to express but can't - not because you're not brave enough to say it out loud, but because they're not here to listen anymore; Things Left Unsaid navigates the themes of grief, loss, and unspoken love.
This project has been such a beautiful journey to navigate. A big thank you to my wonderful cast of dancers who have contributed to such a safe yet vulnerable, explorative space for us to create a very personal piece, with real ties to us as people, exploring the loss we carry with us.
Live Performance
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Live Performance ⋆
choreography, exploration & production by myself & my dancers.
sound editing by myself.
video shot by Dan Tucker.
in association with Arts University Bournemouth & Pavilion Dance South West.
this performance was filmed as part of AUB Dance's Springboard 2024.
The Exhibition
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The Exhibition ⋆
Here’s a little look into the sharing of my collection of work entitled Things Left Unsaid. This work is a derivation of the themes of grief, loss and unspoken love. For this iteration of Things Left Unsaid, i curated an exhibition in the form of a progressive performance promenade in which there were three stages, one in each studio at AUB. I found this to be a really beautiful, intimate experience in which people could get up close to the work, get a glimpse into what went into creating the final outputs and also contribute to the work itself through the interactive elements in the exhibit. People’s reactions to what i presented was really compelling & im really proud of what i put together. I poured my heart and soul into this process so it was really moving to witness people connect to it too. There were three key components to this exhibition; The first being my short film, titled …Love Still is. This film depicts the duality of grief, defining it as the most honest reflection of love. In dedication to my childhood best friend, Isabel, who i had danced with since i was three years old. …Love Still Is explores the interconnection of loss and love, unpacking the love that remains when the person is gone. The second part of the exhibition was a chance for my audience to reflect on their own encounters with loss, and for a peak into the process of creating this collection of work. I put together this gallery-esque part of the exhibit to help encourage moments for interaction, reflection and observation. The final part was a performance of the Things Left Unsaid. group piece. This piece created by myself alongside my dancers, encapsulates the notion that we rarely talk about the love we want to express but can’t - not because you’re not brave enough to say it out loud, but because they’re not here to listen anymore. If you could have one last conversation, what would you say?
I can't explain how moving it was to experience everyone else witnessing my work like this. I am truly so so proud of this project & hold this exhibition so closely to my heart. A big thank you to all that helped put this together, and especially to all my dancers and collaborators who gave their all to this process too.
exhibit curated & produced by Alexis Elyzia Henry.
choreography by Alexis Elyzia Henry.
my dancers: Bryony Duffield, Jemma Fitzpatrick, Rai Crabtree, Rianna Corben, Abbie Forward, & Frankie McCormack.
my collaborators: Ollie Dudley (videographer for …Love Still Is.) & Talitha Stewart (voice for …Love Still Is.)
Special Thanks to my tutor for this project: Claire Benson.
curated in alignment with my negotiated project at Arts University Bournemouth, exhibited in may 2024.
as part of one of our initial sessions creating my work Things Left Unsaid, i ran a creative jam. this was a very open, vulnerable session in which everyone shared their feelings surrounding loss. the idea of loss was up to personal interpretation, as to how my dancers wished to discuss/embody it. for example, my dancers could share their lost connections with a person, a place, a pet, or even loss of self - and whether that be through death, heartbreak or a different form of separation.
i am so grateful to how much care my dancers put into my entire project, and this task was no different. there was a big sense of trust and security in the room, and everyone was super open & giving, which is one of the reasons i feel my project was so successful. i personally feel like this session helped us all to really connect to one another, and i think from this point onwards was when the choreography began to gain more weight & feeling, as this task gave us all a way of unlocking a new understanding of our feelings around loss. i found that i was writing about things i hadn’t thought about before (or at least in a long time) so this way of connecting new ideas to the project was really successful as it felt like a super safe space to take the time to think about things that can be quite difficult comprehend or communicate.
everyone wrote down little annecdotes, memories they wish they could share with those they’ve lost, things they wish they could tell them, or drew out images or doodles as a form of expression of their feelings. i then encouraged the dancers to improvise to what they uncovered as we moved through the space; moving in response to both our own and others’ contributions. these personal little annecdotes and expressions left behind on the paper were really beautiful and i went on to actually include them in my final exhibition as a collage displayed on the wall that my audience could add to. these little written motifs or drawings also created really effective stimuli to work from, producing really evocative movement n our discussion at the end of the session i think that it was Rai that noted that it was like a big group journaling session, collectively healing from our loss together - working through it. this is the kind of impact i want Things Left Unsaid, as a project, to evoke.
a big thank you to the dancers involved in my project, who gave so much & each individually contributed to the beautiful safe creative space we created together.
Creative Jam
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Creative Jam ⋆
for my final project at university, i underwent a research & development process to create an exhibition of work titled ‘Things Left Unsaid.’, exploring themes of grief, loss and unspoken love. i adored working to bring this project to life, and although the topic was such a heavy subject matter, the process was still filled with such joy. everyone who i worked with, that be my dancers or collaborators, faced the project with such love and care, and i feel that truly shines through in the final product. and that is what this work was always meant to be - a work of love & care. this project is so meaningful to me & i feel super lucky to have had the space and time to work to create something so special. we created something that i am so unbelievably proud of & i treasure this whole process so much. i learnt SO much & i loved working with these beautiful people on such a beautiful piece.
i wanted to address the themes of loss, grief, and love in my final major project as i feel as though they have been tied into my dancing for a long time. in 2016, i lost my childhood bestfriend who i had danced with since i was three years old. i have encountered other experiences with grief, however, i feel this is the most impactful on me for a multitude of reasons, but the one notable to the project is that our connection was formed due to dance and i dance every day of my life. the theme of ‘things left unsaid’ is key in this personal part of my life as we were so young, there are so many things i wish i could now express to her. i created this project for her & for those who, like me, feel there is so much more love you wish you could have expressed. it is a vessel for that love; for those things left unsaid.
watch the film portion of this project titled …Love Still Is here >
& see more of the making of this project over on my instagram here. >
Behind the Scenes
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Behind the Scenes ⋆
