deadbird

#mymannykin

film

2020–21

in collaboration with

live production

devynn emory

choreography, direction, writing

devynn emory, Stevie May, Angie Pittman, Jules Skloot

dancers

HPrizm

sound

Julia Bennett, Neil Greenberg, Calvin Stalvig

voices

Michael Ryterband

vocal editing

Reilly Horan

production/stage management

film production

devynn emory

choreography, direction, writing

devynn emory & mannythemannequin

dancers

Reilly Horan

production/stage management

Jorge Cousineau

film and editing

HPrizm, Michael Ryterband

sound

deadbird is part one of #mymannykin friends, a 3-year mixed media performance trilogy holding the complexities of death and dying. a mannequin plays multiple characters, telling stories of near death experiences, pre-death visualizations, and transitions into the afterworld.

the mannequin plays the role of a 50-year-old southern atheist writer, a 95-year-old former teacher living with dementia, and an angsty queer youth questioning their gender and existence. dancers, a musician, and a stage manager shape-shift from television production crew to guardians of an ailing body, eventually welcoming the audience into a participatory ceremonial death ritual.

“this work holds stories of near death experiences as a way to engage audience in conversation about illness and the dying process before a moment of crisis, and to weave in my daily connections with other planes of existence in the spirit world.”


deadbird and can anybody help me hold this body were commissioned and premiered at Danspace Project in 2021 and was a part of the Eureka Commissions Program by Onassis USA. can anybody help me hold this body was presented in New York City with community partner Prospect Park Alliance. the project was created with residency support at YouAreNowhere (NYC), Chocolate Factory Theater (NYC), Snug Harbor Residency (NYC), and Subcircle (ME) with additional support by Foundation for Contemporary Arts. it was awarded by USA Fellowship (2023), Art Matters (2023) and Foundation for Contemporary Arts Merce Cunningham Award (2023)

past

Stream deadbird

2023 | Hamilton, NY | Colgate University

2023 | Philadelphia, PA | Bartrams Gardens

2022 | Syracuse, NY | SUNY Upstate Medical University

2022 | NYC | Dancespace Project

Press

NYTimes

A Choreographer Who Bridges the Worlds of Dance & Nursing

by Siobhan Burke

"Devynn Emory’s “deadbird” — a duet for Emory and a mannequin — deals with grief, envisioning “an ideal care team for a body who’s passing."

NYTimes

Best Dance of 2021

by Gia Kourlas, Brian Seibert, & Siobhan Burke

FNPA – First Nations Performing Arts

on practice: devynn emory

by Chloe Alexandra Thompson

Brooklyn Rail

Moving Through Grief and Transition: devynn emory’s deadbird

by Noa Weiss

"Devynn Emory’s “deadbird” — a duet for Emory and a mannequin — deals with grief, envisioning “an ideal care team for a body who’s passing."

Colgate Magazine

Processing Grief With Visiting Artist/Nurse devynn emory

by Jasmine Kellogg

"In an effort to process these losses, emory turned to their roots in dance and holistic medicine. This workshop is a way of passing on the learning and release emory gained from those days of enforced social isolation."