Edisa Weeks
Dance
Common Sense (working title) is based on the writing of Thomas Paine, and will be an evening-length work by choreographer Edisa Weeks in collaboration with composer Joseph Phillips and his orchestra Numininous.
Common Sense will be divided into four sections, with each section exploring a central tenet of Paine's writing. His words will be integrated musically into the score and visually through video projections onto the dancers' bodies. The dancing will integrate Edisa's movement vocabulary, which is rooted in contemporary modern dance, with patterning of Contra dancing. Contra dancing was the popular social dance form during Paine's lifetime and reflects Paine's egalitarian beliefs, as the emphasis in Contra dancing is on cooperation and being a part of a team.
Edisa Weeks is the director and choreographer for DELIRIOUS Dances. Her work has been performed in a variety of venues including Alfred University, Dance Theater Workshop, Jacob's Pillow, Summerstages Dance Festival, and many more. She has also performed in swimming pools, storefront windows and various living rooms, including living rooms in Berlin, Germany, as part of Haus der Kulturen der Welts 50th anniversary celebration. Raised in Uganda, Papua New Guinea and Brooklyn, NY, Weeks holds an MFA in choreography from NYU and a BA from Brown University. She currently teaches at Princeton University.