Meet Adams! According to him the egg came first.

As a company we spend endless hours rehearsing, giggling and sharing our
lives and we wanted to share a bit of ourselves with you. Rather than posting
tired bios with stats and degrees, each company member created questions for another.

Interviewer: Sara Nye

Interviewee: Adams Berzins

What would you do if you got laid off tomorrow?

Get another job as quickly as possible and start determining what assets I have that could be liquified.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

The Egg. The fallacy is that a chicken would be a required to lay an egg that would produce another chicken, however, a chicken could be born from an egg laid by an organism that, genetically speaking, would not be considered a chicken. Evolution at work. The conundrum comes when needing to determine how that chicken would then be able to create more chickens without a similar mutation occurring in another egg that created a genetically similar organism that could procreate and beget more eggs and similar chickens.

What keeps you dancing, despite how busy you are?

Social interaction that detaches me from my 9-5 life. The opportunity to be creative in an embodied way that I’m not afforded in my day to day life.

What is a moral/ethical question with which you struggle?

The marginalization of masculinity and manliness in popular culture and society. I’m not sure its a moral/ethical questions but it is a broader societal phenomena that I struggle with understanding and try to document it and reverse it. In the realm of moral and ethical, I struggle with the advancement of technology and the applications for privacy and health. The alternate uses of information that is gathered for beneficial purposes, such as medical data or even shopping habits being used for targeted campaigns based on sweeping demographic assumptions. And the private control of that information beyond the initial use.

If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? What in your life would change?

I don’t think I’d change all that much. I’d make things around me better and more comfortable. A part from paying off school for Adi and other debts, paying off my house, donating $50,000-$100,000 to the Latvian for renovations and upgrades (new bar, kitchen, theater apparatuses).  If I have significant money left over, I’d start a fund to pay for arts administrators in Philadelphia. A for-profit management company that would provide administrative services to artists large and small at a subsidized rate to allow companies to grow and manage their company for maximum benefit and sustainability. That is probably about as far as a million would go. I’d hope to have enough left over to take a nice trip, like a really nice trip to the Seychelles or the Maldives.

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Meet Sara-without-an-h! She is a thoughtful kisser.

As a company we spend endless hours rehearsing, giggling and sharing our
lives and we wanted to share a bit of ourselves with you. Rather than posting
tired bios with stats and degrees, each company member created questions for another.

Intervierwer: Mason Rosenthal

Interviewee: Sara Nye

How do you think you would have been different had you been named Sarah with an “h”?

Growing up, there were frequently other Saras or Sarahs or Sarais in my classes. Having a slightly rarer spelling of the name always made me feel a little special. However, there are other things about me that make me feel special or unique, so I don’t think I would have necessarily felt one of the crowd even with an “h.” I certainly wouldn’t have had to correct people as much, so I believe being a Sara cultivated my desire for precision and my tendency to pay attention to details. I try to spell other people’s names right the first time because it matters to me. Perhaps I wouldn’t have been like that.

What is the best part of your work?

Most of my work schedule follows the academic school year, so though September through June is usually super busy, I love having holidays, a spring break, and a summer break off. I enjoy the fact that not every day of the year is the same.

How old were you when you had your first kiss? Describe every detail.

I was 17, nearly 18. Late bloomer. My boyfriend Matt senior year of high school was only my boyfriend for a month, mainly because I didn’t know what to do with a boyfriend at that time in my life, so I broke up with him. However, I did manage to get my first kiss. He came over to my house, and we sat close together on the couch and watched a recording of (nerd alert) a production of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. I waited for him to lean in, because, again, I did not know what I was doing. I remember the entire time thinking, “Oh my God, I’m kissing him! I’m doing that thing that people do! Huh, so this is what it’s like? Pretty cool. Interesting. I wonder if I’m doing it right.” I was really analytical about it.

What websites do you frequent?

I’ve been very into Philebrity.com lately. I get a lot of news about festivals, concerts, other events in town. NYTimes. I spend a lot of time on Google Maps and airline travel sites and Airbnb.com. I like to plan trips, even trips that aren’t in the near future or imaginary trips.

What’s a fashion trend that confuses you?

I hate jean shorts that show the pockets sticking out past the bottom of the shorts. I’m all for Daisy Dukes. I have several pairs. But don’t show the stupid pockets. What’s the point? Are you proving how short your shorts are?

What is your worst habit?

I procrastinate. I’ve wanted to start writing poetry again for 5 years now. And it hasn’t happened.

What teacher or mentor has most influenced your dancing?

For me, there were two people. Emily and Rachel were both interim dance professors at Dickinson College my senior year. They co-led the Dance Theatre Group and taught the improv and choreography classes that year. They challenged me all the time. They were young and incredibly full of energy, and they made me want to move to a city and try my hand at a professional dance career. I had lunch with Rachel after I had decided to move to Philly, and she got real with me about the challenges that often arise when you pursue the life of an artist, financial and otherwise. I always appreciated that – knowing, however slightly, what I was getting myself into.

What performance skill do you think you are best at?

At first I thought “remembering detail,” but that’s more of a rehearsal process skill, isn’t it? I think focus. Focus is tied to detail and precision. I really try to focus on the elements of a performance that are truly important for me. In this piece, how much do I need to focus on the audience and their reactions (for things like comedic timing purposes)? How much do I need to focus on what other performers are doing or saying (for unison moments or realistic responses)? Am I losing focus on my spatial awareness, facial expression, core strength? Am I focusing on the notes my director gave me? When I perform, I feel like I am constantly asking myself these things.

Which sense is most important to you?

Sense of smell. It is so tied to memory. I love the waves of nostalgia that can wash over me when I smell something that jolts me back to a specific place or time. Because of that, I get angry at myself if I can’t place a smell, if I can’t figure it out. I smelled bacon the other day, and I knew I knew the smell, but it took me a couple minutes to place it. It was weird.

What super power would you want the most?

Super-strength. I feel physically weak sometimes. I imagine what kind of dancer I would be were strength not an issue. I could lift anyone. I would never get tired. My wrists would not give out as they sometimes do. I would be graceful in my strength.

Exciting new video!

We were lucky enough to perform as part of the Arden Theatre’s First Friday series this past October and when we got the footage (shot by the talented Jorge Cousineau) we knew we had to share it. Hope you enjoy it and feel free to tell us what you think!