by Shana Simmons

The question of "How are you?" and the mundane answer of "Fine." are central to how STOP is developing. Questions of how do you support someone struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts? What is the best thing you can do for them? These are difficult questions to answer.

A large part of this piece is going to show different ways of physical support, aiming to highlight what it feels and looks like to actually be supported. Sometimes, it's difficult to let go of your own control, especially for someone considering suicide. This letting go of control and choosing life and its unpredictability is a key element to letting yourself BE SUPPORTED.

By Lauren Forsythe
​Lauren Forsythe from JAMpress Management here again! Recently, I got the chance to observe a ME VS. rehearsal (by Jamie Erin Murphy). During the rehearsal, Jamie directed her dancers to portray different identities that people may identify themselves or others as, things that can label us as who we are (sometimes not by choice). Not only did the dancers represent these identities through dance movements, but also symbols (i.e. holding up fingers to represent the age of 30) and interactions with each other. This exploratory exercise highlighted that there are so many ways that we as humans can identify as, and even if we identify in the same way as someone else, our identity is still unique to us- we should not be confined to one identity construct. This concept of uniqueness could be seen as each dancer "performed" the same identity, not one of them executed it in the same exact manner, individualizing themselves within the  structure of the exercise. 

Check out footage from the rehearsal on JAM's YouTube channel, JAMstation, ​https://youtu.be/wrnrjwkQYrQ