Behind The Scenes: Mind The Gap 40
Dance Source Houston will present the 40th edition of Mind The Gap on September 15 at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston. We are marking this milestone with a full evening of works by local choreographers, all of whom have presented work in previous Mind The Gap programs.
We asked the choreographers to share the scoop on the works they’re performing this month – about the impetus, the process, what they want audiences to know, and why they’re sharing it at Mind The Gap.
Learn more about the 6 works featured on the program directly from the dancemakers and get your tickets at matchouston.org/events/2026/mind-gap-xl.
Rachel Redding – “Bowllet”
“Bowllet is a whimsical dance score that looks at the structures and movements of bowling. The work showcases 9 dancers, 10 pins, and two bowling balls. Granny balls galore.
I was inspired to create this work back in 2019. My husband took me on a bowling date, and I was tickled and fascinated by how his body moved and the overall mechanics of the activity. I wanted to create a dance that blends movement patterns that bowlers and dancers use along with the actual structure of the activity to inspire movement. I want audiences to feel inspired to think about novelty and everyday movement and consider how we can turn it into something whimsical and choreographically motivated.
It’s been 8 years since I last presented work independently in Houston. I am looking forward to showcasing my growth as a choreographer and giving some of my inspiring dance friends the opportunity to be on stage.
NMLY.dance – Lori Yuill in collaboration with Nicole McNeil – “If you need me, call me”
This work experiments with our natural inclination to attach a sound to movement and employs humorous tropes such as lip-syncing and game show antics to explore social and performative constructs. Imagine the Muppets enter the Judson Church Theater at the birth of Post-Modern Dance and decide to try their hand at a Way Off Broadway Performance Art Vaudevillian Variety Show.
Over the past 5 years, I have created a multitude of phrases, some of which have been performed and others that have not. I decided to dive into the archive of material, to revisit old friends, introduce them to each other, and see which ones get along. I believe that meaning can be created by context and can shift within a different context. This work is an experiment in creating a new context for a language that has been used before to see what other meanings lie beneath the surface.
I regularly participate in MTG as a way of sharing and capturing landmarks in the trajectory of a creative process. This helps to develop new ideas and feel their effect in performance as we enter a new phase of the work. Performance is part of our process because it unlocks portals (meanings, structures, feelings, essences, residues, etc.) that are different and aren’t always accessible in rehearsal.
Keeley Dunnam and Sarah Hill – “Overcoming and Becoming: The beginning works”
“Overcoming & Becoming” is a powerful community dance performance that weaves together personal stories of adversity, resilience, and transformation. Through dance, spoken word, and intimate storytelling, we invite the audience to reflect, connect, and see themselves in each other’s journeys. Join us, share your story, and help us build a lasting archive of hope and transformation.
The impetus for creating this work was a desire to connect personal challenges to collective resilience. We wanted to draw attention to the fact that everyone faces some form of struggle, and each step of overcoming is a moment worth celebrating. Through these stories and movements, we explore how adversity shapes us, connects us, and invites us to celebrate each becoming moment.
“Overcoming & Becoming” is an ongoing, evolving project, and we invite the audience to become part of this journey by sharing their own stories of overcoming challenges. As the project unfolds, we will continue to build a community archive that extends beyond this performance. Follow us, share the work, and join us as we continue to explore resilience, transformation, and the power of collective storytelling.
Riddles Three – Persi Mey – “Collage”
During my time in Houston, I’ve imagined new worlds and characters in the creation of my works. This piece is the collision and interaction of those worlds.
Each piece of this work was developed and presented in Houston separately sometime over the past three years. In them, I can see my musings, emotions, and state of being at the time they were developed, akin to a journal. Though in this meeting of those thoughts, maybe you could see it more like Marvel’s Multiverse.
I’m interested in seeing how the seemingly unrelated characters I’ve created interact, or what they make when existing in proximity to each other. Sharing this work in Mind The Gap allows the freedom to see and explore an experimental concept on stage.
Paty Lorena Solórzano – “(Third study for) La Maleza”
This will be a third study for La Maleza: Weeds as Teachers, a longer work which I have been working on for the past year and a half. The full work will be presented in November 2026 at the Houston Met Dance. La Maleza is an experimental, improvisation-based dance performance exploring the wisdom of “weeds.” Featuring one dancer and live plants, this conceptual work combines choreographed sequences with improvisational actions using foraged plants and incorporates sound and installation, inviting audiences into a sensory experience to rethink the concept of “weeds.”
With this third study for La Maleza, I’m interested in playing with the structure of sections/vignettes, and I’m also interested in generating sound with leaves, twigs, and other natural elements. Mind the Gap provides the perfect opportunity to show these studies in a supportive setting, and it provides work-in-progress structured milestones to reach in the creative process.
This work-in-progress is part of a larger, ongoing body of research on the ways dance can help us understand and recognize our shared ecologies. Plants shape our lives in countless ways – as food, as shelter, as participants in ritual, etc., and these dance studies are just one tiny, imperfect attempt to pay attention and reverence to the otherwise mundane plants, the weeds, all around us.
jhon r. stronks – “Relics, Remnants, and Reconsiderations: Closing Score/ Opening Set”
“Relics, Remnants, and Reconsiderations: Closing Score/ Opening Set” uses improvised and choreographed voice and movement to establish a channel for exploring lineage, legacy, and descent. The impetus for this work began in 2023 during a collaborative Pillow Lab Residency at Jacobs Pillow with dance maker dani tirrell. While there, we dove deep into the archives, providing us with an opportunity to reconnect with our individual dance histories/ lineages and visit with our (d)ancestors through the extensive video Jacobs Pillow Archive.
My participation in MTG 40 is the threshold through which I cross over into my 20th year of service and creative participation in the Houston dance and performance community. “Closing Score/ Opening Set” functions as the opening wedge towards the larger task of surveying my choreographic behavior and impact over the past 20 years. Under the project heading Relics, Remnants, and Reconsiderations, these choreographic actions propose a blueprint for the continued presence of queer dance making as a part of Houston’s choreographic landscape.
As the production manager for Dance Source Houston, I am usually engaging with the choreographers for Mind the Gap from a behind-the-scenes perspective. Participating as part of the lineup gives me the opportunity to be in direct choreographic conversation with the other artists and MTG’s audience.
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