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
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."
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."