"I have spent years working on some dances, and others come to me while I am napping."
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July 01, 2011
CHOREOGRAPHER
Melissa Riker
Stephen Seidel
The exclusive video!
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The interview
Melissa Riker is a 36 year old choreographer. She lives in New York City, New York, United States.
DS: What are the most memorable years of your life and what happened to make them so memorable?
Melissa Riker: I remember …. 1978: My little sister was born. 1979: my great-grandfather died, he was the first of the important people to disappear from the “now” but stay in my heart. 1984: I fell out of a tree while wishing Mom a Happy Mother’s day. Thank goodness Dad is a fast runner. 1991: friends and love. 1992: survived High School, a sex assault and the Judicial System. 1996: Graduated from Adelphi. BFA and Honors College. Found more forever friends. 1999: Helped build The Movement Salon on 3rd Ave & 17th St, was dancing in 6 different dance companies. 2000: Helped build Manhattan Theatre Source on MacDougal St. 2001: Began Kinesis Project as a pickup company. 2003 Met the amazing dancers that helped me solidify Kinesis Project. 2005: KPdt’s first NYC Season. 2007: Started creating Pressing Empty. 2008: Fell in Love/For good. 2010 Kinesis Project begins teaching and touring. 2011…so far, so good!
Melissa Riker: I remember …. 1978: My little sister was born. 1979: my great-grandfather died, he was the first of the important people to disappear from the “now” but stay in my heart. 1984: I fell out of a tree while wishing Mom a Happy Mother’s day. Thank goodness Dad is a fast runner. 1991: friends and love. 1992: survived High School, a sex assault and the Judicial System. 1996: Graduated from Adelphi. BFA and Honors College. Found more forever friends. 1999: Helped build The Movement Salon on 3rd Ave & 17th St, was dancing in 6 different dance companies. 2000: Helped build Manhattan Theatre Source on MacDougal St. 2001: Began Kinesis Project as a pickup company. 2003 Met the amazing dancers that helped me solidify Kinesis Project. 2005: KPdt’s first NYC Season. 2007: Started creating Pressing Empty. 2008: Fell in Love/For good. 2010 Kinesis Project begins teaching and touring. 2011…so far, so good!
I like knowing I could dance at a moment’s notice in anything I’m wearing.
DS: Where were you born and where do you live now?
Melissa Riker: I was born in Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, NJ. Long Branch also happens to be the college town where my parents met. Nice spot. I was grown in the farmland turned suburbia of Freehold NJ (the same town Bruce is always talking about on Born in the USA.). I was tempted by the West Coast, but landed in New York City. Dance & NYC just work together. Dance is a social art form, and I think dancers thrive on the energy this city offers.
Melissa Riker: I was born in Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, NJ. Long Branch also happens to be the college town where my parents met. Nice spot. I was grown in the farmland turned suburbia of Freehold NJ (the same town Bruce is always talking about on Born in the USA.). I was tempted by the West Coast, but landed in New York City. Dance & NYC just work together. Dance is a social art form, and I think dancers thrive on the energy this city offers.
DS: How would you best describe yourself?
Melissa Riker: I am curious, playful, stubborn and easily distracted. I love martial arts, climbing things and sitting quietly on a beach feeling the air on my skin. I am constantly inspired, sometimes by what is on my mind or in my heart, but very often by what I see around me: the way neighbors greet one another, the way a leaf tumbles to the ground, the way we move silverware around, and what happens when two people are staring at one another. All of this is easy inspiration for dances. I’ve spent years working on some dances, and others come to me while I’m napping. I’m not really sure what happens in my mind to make things become crystal clear and cue the time to make this or that dance – but I know when it happens, and I know my gut is usually right. I trust myself when it comes to making art. I am often amazed at how I can be so confident and yet so shy at the same time.
Melissa Riker: I am curious, playful, stubborn and easily distracted. I love martial arts, climbing things and sitting quietly on a beach feeling the air on my skin. I am constantly inspired, sometimes by what is on my mind or in my heart, but very often by what I see around me: the way neighbors greet one another, the way a leaf tumbles to the ground, the way we move silverware around, and what happens when two people are staring at one another. All of this is easy inspiration for dances. I’ve spent years working on some dances, and others come to me while I’m napping. I’m not really sure what happens in my mind to make things become crystal clear and cue the time to make this or that dance – but I know when it happens, and I know my gut is usually right. I trust myself when it comes to making art. I am often amazed at how I can be so confident and yet so shy at the same time.
CONTACT HER
DS: What are the must-haves in your daily wardrobe?
Melissa Riker: A daily wardrobe, what an idea! I am so very moody, I never know what I’ll want to wear from one day to the next!! But if I have to simplify a bit, I would say soft or flowing fabrics, a halter neckline or v-neck, and splashes of saturated colors. Recently I’ve been into deep teal or sapphire blue, while always feeling that a little bit of purple or orange somewhere never hurts. I always wear earrings, sometimes that I’ve made, and right now I’m into my new cowboy boots from Colorado! I love wearing them with a sweet dress – I tend to like the girly/tough combo and I like knowing I could dance at a moment’s notice in anything I’m wearing.
Melissa Riker: A daily wardrobe, what an idea! I am so very moody, I never know what I’ll want to wear from one day to the next!! But if I have to simplify a bit, I would say soft or flowing fabrics, a halter neckline or v-neck, and splashes of saturated colors. Recently I’ve been into deep teal or sapphire blue, while always feeling that a little bit of purple or orange somewhere never hurts. I always wear earrings, sometimes that I’ve made, and right now I’m into my new cowboy boots from Colorado! I love wearing them with a sweet dress – I tend to like the girly/tough combo and I like knowing I could dance at a moment’s notice in anything I’m wearing.
DS: Who do people tell you you look like?
Melissa Riker: My friend Carrie always said I am an “Elizabeth Shue” type. I, however, spent my childhood assuring the lunch ladies in grade school that, “No”, actually “I am not Melissa Gilbert,” despite the freckles and braids. Energetically I’ve been compared to both Phoebe on friends and (and I like this one better personally) Gwen Stefani. Short, determined and unique. None of that I mind (except the short…. but there are heels made for that issue.)
Melissa Riker: My friend Carrie always said I am an “Elizabeth Shue” type. I, however, spent my childhood assuring the lunch ladies in grade school that, “No”, actually “I am not Melissa Gilbert,” despite the freckles and braids. Energetically I’ve been compared to both Phoebe on friends and (and I like this one better personally) Gwen Stefani. Short, determined and unique. None of that I mind (except the short…. but there are heels made for that issue.)
DS: What is the compliment you most frequently get?
Melissa Riker: I am most often told that there is something beautiful about my energy. I don’t really know what it means, but it is often said by people who are tuned into things in a very deep way, so I gratefully take it in, and appreciate it – whether I feel what they mean or not. The biggest compliment I receive is actually silent. It is when the dancers I work with return to work with me again.
Melissa Riker: I am most often told that there is something beautiful about my energy. I don’t really know what it means, but it is often said by people who are tuned into things in a very deep way, so I gratefully take it in, and appreciate it – whether I feel what they mean or not. The biggest compliment I receive is actually silent. It is when the dancers I work with return to work with me again.
The video
DS: How did you end-up being a choreographer?
Melissa Riker: Becoming a dancer was never a surprise - I was always dancing. My Mom tells stories of feeling beaten from the inside out after a concert of any kind of music. When I was a little ballerina teenager, I would see dances in my head – but assumed that was how everyone saw things, in clear images of movement. As I learned that wasn’t as widespread as I had thought, I began to realize that these dances might be things that had never been seen before, and perhaps I could create them. I was very lucky to have a dance teacher, Lori DeShaw who was strict but loving, and parents who are incredibly supportive of any dreams my sister and I have. Mrs. DeShaw saw what was in me, and gave me the keys to her studio when I was 17 so I would have a place to “dance things out”. That gift of creative freedom and space was invaluable to the paths I took for the rest of my career. – I have some lofty social justice goals and they may begin to bloom very soon – but for now, I am continuing to work on the craft of choreography.
Melissa Riker: Becoming a dancer was never a surprise - I was always dancing. My Mom tells stories of feeling beaten from the inside out after a concert of any kind of music. When I was a little ballerina teenager, I would see dances in my head – but assumed that was how everyone saw things, in clear images of movement. As I learned that wasn’t as widespread as I had thought, I began to realize that these dances might be things that had never been seen before, and perhaps I could create them. I was very lucky to have a dance teacher, Lori DeShaw who was strict but loving, and parents who are incredibly supportive of any dreams my sister and I have. Mrs. DeShaw saw what was in me, and gave me the keys to her studio when I was 17 so I would have a place to “dance things out”. That gift of creative freedom and space was invaluable to the paths I took for the rest of my career. – I have some lofty social justice goals and they may begin to bloom very soon – but for now, I am continuing to work on the craft of choreography.
DS: Can you tell us more about your job?
Melissa Riker: I am a Choreographer and Artistic Director of Kinesis Project (KPdt) – That means I build dances. And it means that I am a businesswoman. A dance-entrepreneur. To make a performance happen, I choreograph the dance, produce the performance and raise money. I’ve likened choreography to being both the director and the playwright at the same time. In the studio, the dancers and I are working on revealing layers of meaning, and finessing the movement out of the story we are telling - I have been lucky with fundraising work to foster the dances. However, for KPdt to continue pressing forward, I must move beyond being a manager within the infrastructure of my company, and its current business plan. Advice? Become an artist, only if you can’t live without it, or not do it. This lifestyle will test every tiny bit of you, to see how far it and you can push. Everything is rewarding, when it all becomes real. And real is the communication of the thing - The Artist, the Art and the Audience together.
Melissa Riker: I am a Choreographer and Artistic Director of Kinesis Project (KPdt) – That means I build dances. And it means that I am a businesswoman. A dance-entrepreneur. To make a performance happen, I choreograph the dance, produce the performance and raise money. I’ve likened choreography to being both the director and the playwright at the same time. In the studio, the dancers and I are working on revealing layers of meaning, and finessing the movement out of the story we are telling - I have been lucky with fundraising work to foster the dances. However, for KPdt to continue pressing forward, I must move beyond being a manager within the infrastructure of my company, and its current business plan. Advice? Become an artist, only if you can’t live without it, or not do it. This lifestyle will test every tiny bit of you, to see how far it and you can push. Everything is rewarding, when it all becomes real. And real is the communication of the thing - The Artist, the Art and the Audience together.
At the Cloisters in NYC
DS: Let's talk more about you and your tastes. Any hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time? Any thing you like and recommend?
Melissa Riker: I love going for walks, riding my beautiful fold-up bike, clumsily playing my tiny ukulele (a Kala Pocket Uke), and fitting in time for a yoga class. The walks are the simplest way I enjoy my time moving and exploring – they are free, mind relaxing and you can always change direction.
Melissa Riker: I love going for walks, riding my beautiful fold-up bike, clumsily playing my tiny ukulele (a Kala Pocket Uke), and fitting in time for a yoga class. The walks are the simplest way I enjoy my time moving and exploring – they are free, mind relaxing and you can always change direction.
DS: What is a typical week for Melissa Riker?
Melissa Riker: My days start between 6:30am and 7am – I drink my first cup of coffee, as my eyes uncross, and then the second as I write my to-do list for the day, preferably on my fire escape overlooking the city. Once that is done I can launch into whatever office work needs doing. Mondays and Tuesdays are Kinesis Project rehearsals, I go in an hour before the dancers arrive to prep and chill out, then the dancers come in at 3pm. Wednesdays are catch-up-on-whatever-couldn’t-happen-on-Mon-or-Tues days. Usually reserved for meetings, Kinesis Project office work, web design, training, yoga, rehearsals for collaborations, or other projects and random tasks. Thursday and Friday are the same. I am always trying to balance work and play – since my work is very much like play I am always battling this feeling of guilt that I’m not working hard enough.
Melissa Riker: My days start between 6:30am and 7am – I drink my first cup of coffee, as my eyes uncross, and then the second as I write my to-do list for the day, preferably on my fire escape overlooking the city. Once that is done I can launch into whatever office work needs doing. Mondays and Tuesdays are Kinesis Project rehearsals, I go in an hour before the dancers arrive to prep and chill out, then the dancers come in at 3pm. Wednesdays are catch-up-on-whatever-couldn’t-happen-on-Mon-or-Tues days. Usually reserved for meetings, Kinesis Project office work, web design, training, yoga, rehearsals for collaborations, or other projects and random tasks. Thursday and Friday are the same. I am always trying to balance work and play – since my work is very much like play I am always battling this feeling of guilt that I’m not working hard enough.
DS: Some quick questions: What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Melissa Riker: Kiss my sweet fella and sip water.
Melissa Riker: Kiss my sweet fella and sip water.
DS: What is your favorite word?
Melissa Riker: “Shwarma“ with a close second on: “Yes.”
Melissa Riker: “Shwarma“ with a close second on: “Yes.”
DS: What it your favorite quotation? Or make your own for posterity...
Melissa Riker: “Contained? Not on your life.” -Me. But I also LOVE: “Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything...that's how the light gets in...” By Leonard Cohen, from Anthem.
Melissa Riker: “Contained? Not on your life.” -Me. But I also LOVE: “Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything...that's how the light gets in...” By Leonard Cohen, from Anthem.
DS: What is your favorite "drug"?
Melissa Riker: Dancing. Good music with a driving beat - Beethoven or Eminem, it doesn’t matter. The first time I heard the entirety of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was the Sunday morning after a weekend long party. I came home and my Mom actually thought I was on speed! Actually, the music had gotten my heart racing to such a pace, that I was still completely wired after a 20-minute drive home! “Lose Yourself” has a similar effect.
Melissa Riker: Dancing. Good music with a driving beat - Beethoven or Eminem, it doesn’t matter. The first time I heard the entirety of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was the Sunday morning after a weekend long party. I came home and my Mom actually thought I was on speed! Actually, the music had gotten my heart racing to such a pace, that I was still completely wired after a 20-minute drive home! “Lose Yourself” has a similar effect.
The photo shoot
DS: What magic power would you like to have if you could choose one?
Melissa Riker: Flight. Recently, I’ve wanted to be able to sear someone with lasers from my eyes… that’s thanks to the number of sexual assaults that have happened in my neighborhood recently. The vigilante in me starts to come out, and I want to go find these fools and just sear them to the ground. If I could fly I could soar around and drop the bad guys into the Hudson for the cops to find.
Melissa Riker: Flight. Recently, I’ve wanted to be able to sear someone with lasers from my eyes… that’s thanks to the number of sexual assaults that have happened in my neighborhood recently. The vigilante in me starts to come out, and I want to go find these fools and just sear them to the ground. If I could fly I could soar around and drop the bad guys into the Hudson for the cops to find.
DS: If not yourself, who would you be?
Melissa Riker: Guy Laliberte (founder of Cirque du Soliel) for his ingenuity and aim for beauty. Simply, the ability to go from street performer, to world domination of the concept of circus! Mikhail Barishnikov – for his longevity as a dancer, his willingness to continue to be surprised by this art form and his amazing graciousness as both an entrepreneur and host.
Melissa Riker: Guy Laliberte (founder of Cirque du Soliel) for his ingenuity and aim for beauty. Simply, the ability to go from street performer, to world domination of the concept of circus! Mikhail Barishnikov – for his longevity as a dancer, his willingness to continue to be surprised by this art form and his amazing graciousness as both an entrepreneur and host.
DS: What is in store for you? Any key projects for the next months? Anything you want to share? Can our readers help you with anything?
Melissa Riker: Help? Yes. I would like a business manager please. And TWO very important things are happening simultaneously. First, Mapping Home is our newest work. We are interviewing as many people as possible about HOME then creating the dance based on what they say. I have been very into letting audience into our work, our process… and Mapping Home is my current answer to that – literally bringing random people’s thoughts into our process, so that when they see the work it resonates differently - it is YOU, being danced by us. So if you, or someone you know has strong feelings about Home and what it is, be in touch! And second, we are touring the Northeast with our evening length show, Pressing Empty. If you’d like to learn more, or you’d like to have Pressing Empty come to your town’s theatre/opera house/ church please contact me through www.kinesisproject.com. We love working with communities, dancing in fountains and playing with the unique aspects your town has to offer.
Melissa Riker: Help? Yes. I would like a business manager please. And TWO very important things are happening simultaneously. First, Mapping Home is our newest work. We are interviewing as many people as possible about HOME then creating the dance based on what they say. I have been very into letting audience into our work, our process… and Mapping Home is my current answer to that – literally bringing random people’s thoughts into our process, so that when they see the work it resonates differently - it is YOU, being danced by us. So if you, or someone you know has strong feelings about Home and what it is, be in touch! And second, we are touring the Northeast with our evening length show, Pressing Empty. If you’d like to learn more, or you’d like to have Pressing Empty come to your town’s theatre/opera house/ church please contact me through www.kinesisproject.com. We love working with communities, dancing in fountains and playing with the unique aspects your town has to offer.
DS: Anything you want to add to close this interview?
Melissa Riker: Short soapbox: The arts, women, education & entrepreneurism are cornerstones to a strong, diverse society. Can we pay more attention to that now?
Melissa Riker: Short soapbox: The arts, women, education & entrepreneurism are cornerstones to a strong, diverse society. Can we pay more attention to that now?
DS: Thank you Melissa Riker
Melissa Riker: Thanks for the attention Daily Single! Keep dancin’!
Melissa Riker: Thanks for the attention Daily Single! Keep dancin’!
The wall
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