Choreographing on a four foot square space was an inspiration rather than a challenge for OBT Company Artist Makino Hayashi who was among ten dance makers selected to create work for Tiny Community Healing Dances sponsored by the City of Portland’s Community Healing through Art initiative.

For this project, choreographers listened to a dozen multi-generational Lents residents who shared their stories, experiences, and reflections about the last 18 months. The collected works – Ten Tiny Dances® – are a response to what they experienced through listening to these stories. In this way, artists, community members and audience alike have had the precious opportunity to share a diverse array of community-focused explorations of healing. The dances were performed and filmed at Lentz Park.

Makino’s process:

“When I listened to the narrative from the Lents residents, I wrote down all the words that caught my ear, and how those words made me feel. I added my own feelings during Covid to create a piece.  I call it Kizuna which refers to bonds or connections between people in Japanese.

To me the tiny floor is a canvas that I tell a story on. I’m not a good speaker with words. Sometimes, it’s very hard to say what I’m feeling. And sometimes it’s impossible to say through words. I was thinking about why I dance, choreograph, paint, make films and enjoy creating stuff. I express my feelings through it. Choreographing is an interesting thing. Its creation and collaboration with dancers. Sometimes, I create things that I never expect. It’s beautiful and I love it! It’s chemistry and team work to make an art. We share thoughts, feelings and make a thing and reach out to more people, reach out to the world. Art can heal, communicate, share ideas and so many other things. It’s amazing.”