KIAC

“Why can I still not swim, even after taking lessons for so many years?” Canadian live artist Dana Michel asks herself.

"Why can't anyone in my family swim (even though they're originally from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia)?" “If there is a reason why many people in the global black population can’t swim." "How can we feel confident and safe in the world when we can't float in the liquid that makes up most of us?"

In her previous work “MIKE”, she focused on “trust” in the workplace—particularly, how one can learn to trust oneself.
In her new work “IN WATER I MUST”, she explores how to “exist” in water—a space where she feels she cannot trust herself—by developing a choreographic vocabulary. Through this process, she seeks ways of living with less fear.
Could exploring her creativity and imagination in the water promote other forms of liberation and perhaps promote an even greater sense of trust in herself as an active participant in the world?

With these questions in mind, she has undertaken a 10-day creative residency in Kinosaki Onsen. This work-in-progress showing offers a glimpse into her upcoming premiere scheduled for 2026.