SARAH'S SUNDAY SCOOP FROM MARCH 16th, 2016

By: Sarah Trested

INTERVIEW WITH company apprentice: frankie Markocki

(SARAH): What inspired you to audition for KYL/D?

(FRANKIE): I auditioned for KYL/D because I was so familiar with Kun-Yang’s work. Kun-Yang was my professor at Temple University, and I was always a fan of both his classes and his choreography. I could understand and translate what he spoke of in class (imagery, breathing, words of wisdom) and saw myself being a part of his work. When the audition was announced, I felt inspired to participate since I knew KYL/D was the right place for me. I was especially touched by his work in 2015, HOME/S. 9th St.

(SARAH): What connections have you drawn from your previous dance training to KYL/D?

(FRANKIE): To be honest, Kun-Yang’s CHI Awareness classes and company repertoire do not relate to my previous dance training. Works like Chess (a.k.a ONE-Immortal Game) is not like anything I’ve done before. I’ve studied a lot of classical modern techniques like Horton, but I have never been in a piece where the emotion is more drawn back or subdued. My background has included performing work with lots of over the top dramatics like competition dance. Because of this, Kun-Yang’s approach to movement has been an exciting challenge for me.

(SARAH): Now that you have learned several pieces of KYL/D repertory, How do you think Kun-Yang’s creative process translates from one piece to another?

(FRANKIE): It has been an interesting process for me to be apart of both Chess (a.k.a ONE-Immortal Game) and Santuario simultaneously. For Chess, it is a relearning process. I was not a part of the original cast for the piece and I now have to learn a part that was created for someone else. For Santuario, I have been a part of the creative process from the beginning. Due to the contrast of my involvement in each work, I have had a different experience with both the intent and the movement. However, in all of Kun-Yang’s work you must heavily consider who you are in the piece. For Chess, my character is more composed and like a fighter. For Santuario, I portray different emotional characters. How you embody the character and sensations in each piece not only affects your experience by also spacing, phrase work, and the relationship you have with the other dance artists.

(SARAH): What sets KYL/D apart from other Philadelphia dance companies?

(FRANKIE): I would say KYL/D sets itself apart from other Philadelphia dance companies because it relies on the individuality and diversity of the dancers for each works’ creative process. There is a lot of collaboration involved between the company members and Kun-Yang. Each artist has a say in both the development and the performance of the choreography, which I believe is unique from other companies I know of that simply set the work on a group of dancers.

(SARAH): What 3 words would you use to describe KYL/D?

(FRANKIE): Eclectic, Individual, Community

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