Expansion of Pilot Project: Sanctuary — A Site-Specific Dance Amplifying Worship Spaces

A noticeable gap exists in dance designed for architecturally robust worship spaces. This research project, Sanctuary, significantly contributes to the lacking intersection of site specific dance and faith. Our research expanded Sanctuary from a 25-minute 2021 pilot to an approximately 40-minute work, priming it for future commissions and residencies. The research focused on creative processing through four steps: 1) Assess and develop pilot choreography 2) Create contrasting material 3) Integrate new material with pilot 4) Document the new material with archival video. Professor Hanson and student Kaleigh Estby developed a completed 40-minute adaptable work that equally incorporated the pilot and new material. An additional outcome emerged: a collaboration with the University of Notre Dame, yielding a dance film with the newly developed material at the Reyes Organ and Choral Hall. Finalized results from that collaboration are pending; however, preliminary footage has been obtained and accomplishes the artistic vision from this research. Sanctuary has proven to be a catalyst for reimagining how the community can engage creatively with a church building. This project ensures a compositionally and theologically balanced representation of the artistic theme of Sanctuary: rest and restlessness in Christ, significantly impacting secular and religious audiences to see the space with a fresh perspective. The hope is to disseminate the evening length work through public performances with other worship spaces, providing an opportunity to showcase the architectural beauty of the given facility through dance. Additionally, the newly developed film, Selah, will be submitted to national and international film festivals in 2025.