LOOK AT ME! By James Koroni
ARTIST STATEMENT
In my transition from adolescence to early adulthood, I was confronted with the startling truth that the status-quo was a facade that my parents and community had created around me, having been passed that same torch by their predecessors. I began to see how important it was to ask critical questions about the society for which I was expected to be a torchbearer. Is there space to define my own values within the context of this vast and uncertain existence? All at once I felt empowered and disempowered.
In Look At Me! I use an array of bold colors and geometric shapes that emphasize the compendium of cultural values, which often seem chaotic, contrasting and in discord - in rare moments, these forms can align like constellations. Through this work I seek to discover how to connect those points through advocacy and alliance in a mission for understanding, liberation and justice. A desire for social harmony is simple enough, yet the pursuit is entirely overwhelming.
I once felt trapped like these characters. Their struggles seem like bars on cages, but with understanding and compassion we can blur those lines, pull each other through and find freedom.
CREDITS
Director & Editor James Koroni
Choreographer James Koroni
Contributing Choreographer Tracey Katof
Dancers Tracey Katof, James Koroni
Director of Photography Jeremy Hernandez
Composer Ruskis
Costume Designer Lui Konno
Painter / Projection Kiko Bordeos
Gaffer Joshua Katcher
Hair & Makeup Randa Eid
Special Thanks Cynthia King Dance Studio