Pruitt’s master class is titled, “Riding Momentum: Gravity in Contemporary Dance.” Choreographer Aimee MacDonald curates the festival inviting national artists to Ypsilanti, Michigan for two nights of professional choreography showcases, three days of master classes, a works in process showing, and a dance film screening. Pruitt is 1/20 choreographers curated in the festival, and 1/8 invited to teach a master class.
The dance “With & Without” reflects on the experiences of loss and grief. The movement explores extremes of sensation ranging from arduous numbness to explosive physicality. The work will be performed by Pruitt alongside dancers Alexandra Lloyd, Greta Mannino, and Annika Winters.
Pruitt’s master class, “Riding Momentum: Gravity in Contemporary Dance” challenges dancers to find active play, curiosity, and agency through movement that rides gravity and the body’s momentum. This class progresses from improvisational practices to floorwork emphasizing efficiency and release. The class works on shifting weight through the feet and hands allowing gravity to pour through any contact point, finally building to complex spatial and kinetic patterning and energetic locomotion.