Founded in 2014, Acts of Matter is a project-based performance group with a mission of revealing and reveling in our greater humanity through investment in process and collaboration. The work of the company is grounded in an unfettered willingness to attempt something while accepting the possibility of its failure. This physical exertion—this act of trying—is the core of humanity in the work. As a choreographer, Artistic Director Rebecca Lemme is inspired by the ability of movement to move people—to stir in them something innately human: the need to find connection. Acts of Matter hinges on the belief that as a society we are defined by what unites us—by what makes us similar, not what makes us different. Drawn from immensely personal inspiration, the work creates a window in which others can see their own experience reflected. It suggests that at the core of every private struggle or individual joy is something universal.
ABOUT REBECCA LEMME
Rebecca Lemme is a choreographer, performer, educator, visual artist, and also the Founder and Artistic Director of the performance group Acts of Matter. Thematically and physically, Acts of Matter engages with work grounded in an unfettered willingness to attempt something while accepting the possibility of its failure. This physical exertion—this act of trying—is the core of humanity in the work. Rebecca's choreographic work has been commissioned for numerous universities and professional companies, and she teaches extensively in contemporary, ballet, and improvisation. She has created a unique movement style for the stage and the classroom that encourages investigation, problem solving, and versatility. Currently an Associate Professor at California State University Long Beach and formerly a full-time faculty member at CalArts, Rebecca holds a degree from Princeton University in English and Theater and California Institute of the Arts in Choreography.
Class led by Rebecca Lemme, AOM Founder + Artistic Director
ABOUT THE CLASS:
Open Company Class // Significantly informed by both Release and Laban/Bartenieff techniques, the class encourages investigation, problem solving, and versatility. Release technique is a method of movement discovery in which the superficial musculature of the body gives way to essential skeletal mechanisms, ultimately revealing greater dimension throughout the body. Class work will be grounded in the principle that self-exploration is the dancer’s most effective tool of development and is essential to finding authenticity of movement. While designed for intermediate to advanced movers, beginning movers with a deep curiosity are also encouraged to attend.