We were lucky to catch up with Brenna Mosser recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brenna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I am 32, and really only started my professional dance career when I was 27. I had studied intensively in Europe for the first 6 years after high school because I was really interested in the ideas and people I was learning from. It was a lot though, and I got burnt out. I felt like my whole life at that point had been dedicated to the craft and I needed something different to ground me and to better understand what I wanted in my life. I ended up working for the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa for two years. I got to work outside, learn new skills like how to chainsaw and best practices for environmental restoration. Though this was rewarding work, I got that grounding that I needed after my time in Europe and started taking class, auditioning, and taking time in the studio to work on dances.

I returned to dancing, first getting my foot back in the door both as a dancer and then as a creator. It took me a good year to do that, but I feel like I’m doing better today than I would have if I jumped right in after returning home. I also feel that I have a larger purpose by using my craft to talk about climate change, something that I often saw the impact of during my time at CCMI.

Brenna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a dance artist who seeks to illuminate the awe in my surroundings by sculpting falls, stumbles, and asymmetries gracefully. I spent two years in the Conservation Corps, where I faced the reality of climate change and has since dedicated my work to dissect and digest this crisis with her community..

I earned my bachelor’s in dance performance at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, UK. I supplemented this degree at le Centre national de la danse Contemporaine in Angers, France where I spent two years learning intensively from world-renowned dance companies and their artists. There, I earned a BA in dance performance and arts management.

In my work, I create atmospheres and worlds on the stage that are my efforts to grapple with scientific facts and explorations. I am inspired the most by environmental science, physics, and natural history. I have made dances on a variety of topics, ranging from what life might look like for humans on another planet, the Decorah Shale, deer, the emotion awe and single use plastics.

I founded Analog Dance Works in 2019, a dance company whose mission is to explore the intersection between dance and science through choreographic works and roundtable discussions. Alongside Analog, I currently dance for Threads Dance Project, Ruby Josephine Dance Theater, and Zoë Koenig.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have two. The first thing that I have already eluded to is the environment. I am passionate about it and as someone who relies heavily on imagery to make my dance works, I derive a lot of imagery from nature. In other words, I can’t create my work without nature to inspire me. I use my craft and platform to promote care for our planet.

The second thing actually encompasses the first thing and that is the intersection of dance and science. I am so inspired and in awe of the things around me – from graphs to gravity to natural history.. I come from a family of farmers and scientists, and I can feel it all in my body even if I don’t have words to describe it. It influences how I move and what I ask of my dancers. It helps me connect with folks tied more closely to the science community to cross-pollinate our knowledge and ideas. I can’t help but to spend every day listening, digesting, and manifesting this intersection.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think the thing that is most rewarding is being able to connect with people. I have social anxiety and it’s really hard for me to converse in a social setting. Through my work, I get to have those deep conversations in creating works with my dancers and in being a dancer for others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.analogdanceworks.org
• Instagram: @brenna.mosser, @analogdanceworks
• Facebook: @analogdanceworks

Image Credits
Bill Cameron