j e l l o x The Ooze: a response by Sarah Stearn
Image provided courtesty of Tuli Bera
Reciprocal Exchange in The Ooze curated by Mya McClellan, presented by the J e l l o Performance Series at Elastic Arts on May 23, 2025
Performing Artists:
Nico Rubio
Mia Barnett
Isabella Limosnero
Lucy Vurusic Riner
Jordan "J.Ro" Ordoñez
Jaclyn "Jac" Gary
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The Ooze has allowed the J e l l o Performance Series to evolve once again. It is truly exciting to witness, support, and review!
The J e l l o Performance Series was founded on the principles of artist connection, no matter where artists may be in the stages of their careers or processes of their works. The series is a platform for established and emerging artists alike in Chicago. When curating, the team (Jessica Cornish first, then Carla Gruby & Tuli Bera, then Tuli, then Tuli & Sarah Stearn, now Mya McClellan) has always either had open calls, or challenged ourselves and our curators to select at least some artists who they don’t know or who have never done a J e l l o show before. The goal is to always invite new people in, create an accessible performance opportunity, and expand our reach. Not only does it push us out of our own artistic bubbles, but it also pushes the boundaries of the series itself. What can J e l l o be? Who else will have an idea that will take the series to a new place, a new form?
We’ve always anchored our shows in accessibility, creating spaces for artists to meet each other and share what they’re doing in a low stakes environment, for and with an audience. The Ooze is the embodiment of the above questions and goals--asking the artists to not only witness and support each other’s solo pieces, but to actually move with each other, too. Mya’s live facilitation blurs the lines between choreographer/curator/performer. It’s also a form of performing; she’s just as in it as the dancers, but from a different angle. At times, she steps inside the piece and contributes her own movement as well, before picking up the mic again and inviting another artist into the space or giving another idea for the dancers to play with.
The Ooze is collective improvisation as spontaneous choreography. Choices are made by the dancers in response to Mya, while Mya is also making decisions in real time as she’s witnessing and creating. Dancers on the side witness what’s unfolding; taking care, attuning to the space, and ready to jump in at Mya’s request. The framework and prompts are known ahead of time, but what might happen during the performance is left unknown until the moment arises. In the 15-minute sessions opening and closing the show, Mya leaves room to breathe, room for the dancers to explore the ideas before making changes and guiding the jams ever forward.
In the first jam to open the night, Mya builds a piece starting with Mia, then Lucy, then Jac, starting with a prompt called the “arcade game,” then Mya assigns prompts to each dancer such as spill, ooze, drip, pour and more as she feels it and as the piece develops. She asks J.Ro to enter, “What do you see, what’s inspiring you right now?” At the back of the stage, he starts to explore an idea from Bella who’s at the front, moving his arms in a circular motion and each playing with their own levels and speeds. Together, they create shadows of each other, while the other dancers move and explore their own prompts in the space between them on stage. In The Ooze, the options are limitless, the space is open, and everyone's invited to connect, respond, and play.
During the jams, Drew Lewis, a friend and collaborator of Mya’s, improvises a soundscape. Tuli Bera, fellow J e l l o tech support, improvises with the lights, responding to the sound, mood, movements, and prompts as they evolve. I’m witnessing from the camera behind the booth of Elastic Arts, zooming in on duets or solos when possible, or capturing the full view including Mya and Drew. Yoshi, Elastic Arts producer, ensures the sound levels are balanced. All elements are jamming in reciprocal exchange as the session materializes into a dance piece in front of us. The room is energized and attentive, the audience enveloped in the magic surrounding them. Even though the performance is focused on the stage, the whole room is filled with the energy of the show. I feel this is also a testament to the space of Elastic Arts, an intimate performance venue which houses the J e l l o Performance Series among many other beautiful experimental music, dance, and performance series.
In addition to the group sessions bookending the show, each artist in The Ooze performed a 5-minute solo, showcasing their movement style or sharing what they’re currently working on in true J e l l o fashion. The solos allowed space for the audience and artists to witness each other in their own artistic flows. Having the solos sandwiched by the sessions was also deliberate: the first session acting as a warm-up to the space and each other, and the last session as a way to come together anew now having witnessed each other’s individual flows.
Mia’s movement showcased a beautiful and meditative thought with contrasting dynamics, Lucy revisited a piece about self-identity with a large roll of red paper and chalk, Nico brought out his tap board and danced to a self-made DJ mix, J.Ro prompted the audience to shout out their feelings as he performed, Bella playfully repeated small gestures and flew about the space while laughing with the audience, Jac investigated vigorous and careful movement with a hand-crafted bust that slid on the floor as they pulled it across with a ribbon.
Each solo was so unique to each artist, seeing them perform separately allowed the audience and artists to get to know them more deeply as individuals. In the final improv session, this new familiarity allowed us all to relax, breathe, and support the space in a more embodied way altogether.
“Let me take a second to figure out how I’m gonna start this… Drew you can start the music,” Mya begins the final session. She calls J.Ro, Bella, Lucy, and Mia into the space with the prompt “call and response” and changes up the leader every so often. Eventually, Nico is called to the stage and is asked “What’s your favorite arcade game?” He dribbles and shoots an imaginary basketball. Mia joins in, showing off some dribbling skills of her own and the audience giggles. Lucy joins in and levels up the basketball arcade competition. The game evolves into some other imaginary basketball game, a frenzy of players defending and shooting and dribbling all about the space. A duet emerges between Mia and Jac that is so captivating, their investigation together feels so new and curious, and simultaneously like they’ve been longtime collaborators. Eventually, Mya calls the dancers off one by one, but they stay close and all form a circle.
“Lucy, you’re up,” and she enters the circle and finds her own jam, the surrounding dancers watching in support. Here and there, a dancer will offer a prompt ooze, drip, pour etc. as the dancer in the middle jams. When they exit the center, the next dancer transitions with movement and they transfer their energy, keeping the dance alive. This transmission of energy is similar to another prompt that comes next, the ball of energy.
Mya passes around the ball of energy with her hands, and sometimes passes her literal play-doh, while a slowed-down version of Homebody by Nai Palm plays. The guitar and the modulated, echoey vocals create a dreamy, cozy version of the world where we are all safe to explore, play, and be together. The dancers’ movements match the vibe and Tuli dims the lights to a soft red. Mya gently and kindly circulates the group, offering her energy and ideas through her body instead of the mic this time.
It’s like they’re all oil droplets floating in a tub of water… when Mya reaches one of the dancers, they join as kin, connecting cohesively until she breaks off and finds another oil droplet to seamlessly mesh with. She and Bella look through each other’s hands like binoculars into each other’s eyes. She then slowly breaks away and floats to Mia, joining her exploration briefly. Then slowly making her way to Nico, giving him some tactile information before slowly backing away from the group to witness. Each dancer explores their ball of energy in their own little world on stage, alone together, held by the music, the audience, the lights, and Mya in the back left corner.
The Ooze is a very exciting new format of the J e l l o Performance Series. Its embodiment of the series’ values is truly heartwarming and takes the series into another evolution. Even though we’ve been around for 8 years now, each time we bring someone new into the fold some newfound magic happens and the spark hits us all over again. We’ve had so many artists be involved in many different capacities over the years, we are so grateful for each person who has crossed paths with the series! It takes many people collaborating, exchanging energy and ideas with reciprocity to create something beautiful in the community.
Thanks for reading! You can view the full show on Elastic Art’s Youtube page! Stay tuned for the next J e l l o show by following our Instagram: @jellodances
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Sarah Stearn was born and raised in Chicago, IL. She supports the performing arts by attending dance classes and shows, producing and administrating for the J e l l o Performance Series, and writing responses to performances. Her movement practice includes dance, yoga, walking with her Grandma Sunny, and playing with her cat, Luna.
