I believe that radical presence requires radical attentiveness. Movement is our birthright; it has the power to animate feeling, and breathe life into all of creation. My mission as a dancer, instructor, and choreographer is focused on reconfiguring the mind to embrace the unknown, and linger there long enough for intuition and the body’s intelligence to arise and flourish through creativity.
My life’s work is fueled by what poet John O’Donohue refers to as “a divine restlessness in the human heart” I continue to seek experiences that unearth the beauty, richness, and complexity of being human. I’m inspired by themes of longing and belonging. My practice is rooted in the traditions of Butoh and draws from Latinx culture and Indigenous spiritual knowledge systems while embracing the Zen Buddhist philosophy that we live moment to moment.
My revisionist approach to choreography is the way I confront Supremacy inherited through our collective cultural trauma. It begins with stripping away ideas of what dance should or could be, thus shifting energy towards creative possibilities that exist when we learn to trust our instincts. I then focus on the method of distillation–refining movement to essential gestures. Finally, I allow no wasted space, I approach every moment in the work (both active and passive) with equal curiosity. This process encourages and strengthens a palpable presence in dance that holds space for movements of joy, discovery, and delight. My work creates space for the audience to permeate the invisible boundaries between themselves and the performer, and for the performer to permeate the invisible boundaries between themselves and the divine.
Meshi Chavez is currently Artist In Residence at Middlebury College. His career has spanned two decades allowing him to teach, present and perform nationally and internationally. His work is predicated on the concept that creativity is our birthright. Through the discipline of training the mind, body, and spirit, we learn to claim this creative force and build from there. He has taught at Schumacher College and Middlebury College where he choreographed Dance Company Middlebury 2019-2020. His choreography has been presented at The Joan Mitchell Foundation in New Orleans. Chavez is co-founder of Momentum Conscious Movement, where he has been creating in-person and online, ongoing adult movement education programs for more than 20 years. He works internationally with author, scholar, and theologian Matthew Fox, teaching Movement as Meditation, with a recent online course through The Shift Network. His mentors include choreographers Denise Fujiwara and Natsu Nakajima. He believes that cultivating creativity, strengthening curiosity, and embracing the unknown, is the secret to making an artful life.
“Meshi is an extraordinary teacher who teaches with heart and head and body and from a deep place where Spirit moves and awakens and heals. Students of course love him!” Matthew Fox
