A Map of Traces

Overview

Composed of a series of movement vignettes, “A Map of Traces” evolves through visions of sharp juxtaposition, quiet storytellings, and repetitious chantings that build, break, and birth the next breath. This work draws inspiration from fractured memory, and aims to make a mess, confronting isolation as a trauma response.

About the Artist

Sydney Coffman is a dance artist currently based in Philadelphia. She began taking dance lessons in her hometown of Ojai, California at an early age where it became clear to her, and anyone who spoke to her for more than five seconds, dance would fulfill an important purpose in her life. She later continued her practice at State Street Ballet Academy of Santa Barbara as a student of their pre-professional program up until she graduated high school.
In 2022, Sydney moved across the country to attend University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. She spent two years immersed in their dance program, prior to the school's sudden closure, receiving mentorship and training from esteemed artists such as Gary Jeter, Mark Caserta, Shayla Vie-Jenkins, Paul Matteson, Katie Swords-Thurman, and Kim Bears-Bailey, among others. There, she was featured in many pieces created by peers, and developed a strong interest in choreographic and improvisational practices as well.
Sydney's work is deeply influenced by the natural landscape of her upbringing at it's core. She is moved by the resiliency, organized chaos, and the reverence she finds there. She is curious of the multiple truths in conversation within bodies, improvisational forms, and disrupting patterns of thought or motion with handwritten invitation.

Credits