Lionel Popkin's dances are characterized by his unique blend of humor, precision, subtlety and raw physical power. The work comes from a deeply sensory and unabashed kinesthetic curiosity that propels the choreography. Along side Lionel's sly, witty touch, his aesthetic hinges on the placement of vibrant individuals within an imagistic or abstract landscape. The highly collaborative rehearsal process gives the performers a clear and deep connection to the material that results in compelling images filled with open, mature and resonant performances.
 
Lionel approaches dance making in a way that looks for physical metaphors within complex structures. This working process allows the viewers to connect and respond in their own personal way to the action on stage and lets the audience see the performers not as detached dancers, but as fully realized people. It also results in dances with fully developed characters who move through landscapes created by their own physical actions; landscapes that, rather than being bound to a particular scene or story, have the power of a personal specificity along with the ability to exist in a multiplicity of places, times and perspectives.
 
After leaving the Trisha Brown Company in 2003, Lionel devoted himself full-time to making dances and has been presented at numerous theaters including Danspace Project and Dance Theater Workshop in New York, REDCAT and Highways in Los Angeles, the Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out Stage, Sushi in San Diego and The Place in London. He is currently an Assistant Professor at UCLA and works with collaborators who are based in Berlin, New York, Providence and Seattle.


WHITE ELEPHANT
A solo for Lionel that will be interrupted by various guest artists, White Elephant questions how a singular body can house multiple histories and ponders the complexity of aligning oneself with a single cultural identity.