The Joy of Dance

Leymis Bolaños Wilmott is watching the dancers of Sarasota Contemporary Dance rehearse. In the handful of pieces the performers run through, she sees the decade-long evolution of the dance company she co-founded with Rachel Inman in 2006 unfold in front of her.

Dancers slide across the floor with magazines as props, hoist one another into the air and rustle leaves scattered around the stage floor. The works are diverse, and they provide a snapshot of the company's history. 

Wilmott offers her notes and bits of feedback. She knows the pieces inside and out — she wrote and choreographed them all. But for the first time since the company's inception, she's not performing them. Since renaming the company in September, Wilmott says she made a decision that 2016 would be her year to take a step back and focus her attention on being the company's artistic director and choreographer. And although she's not onstage this time, she says she's gained a new appreciation for dance — by watching. 

"We’re in a process of transition. We renamed in September, and not performing allows me to take on the role of an artistic director and choreographer. It’s interesting to be outside, looking in at your work. It’s really rewarding. I love performing, but it gives you a chance to appreciate it more and see all that we’ve accomplished in the last 10 years, and it’s humbling."

"I didn’t do this by myself. There’s been so much collaboration. When we started, I was new in town, and I had all these dancers who grew up here and went to school here and had been dancing locally for years. They took a chance on me and my company. This is my chance to celebrate everyone who’s helped us get to where we’re at today."

"I didn’t realize I would feel this comfortable. I don’t have to be onstage, performing to feel the joy of dance."

"Seeing them perform my work, it takes on another life. They take it and make it their own, and it makes it that much more special for me. To me, that’s what making art is about."

"Some of the cast is original, but a lot of them are new. So some of these dancers had to learn these pieces secondhand, which brings even more new life into it. The piece “Chagall at Dachau,” which is inspired by a poem by Harold Wolfe, consists entirely of new dancers."

"It’s been a joyful ride. For a local contemporary dance company to make it 10 years is impressive to me. It hasn’t always been easy, but what happens here, where we create this fellowship from all walks of life, that’s why we keep doing it."

"This is the first retrospect concert since our first season that’s been completely my work. It makes me stop and think about how much work I’ve created over the last 10 years. I’ve written more than 100 pieces."

"I tried to bring back milestone pieces, and I asked the dancers which works they would bring back, if they could."

"It’s great to look back and see how we’ve evolved as a company. This performance shows a breadth of work, and it shows how versatile our dancers are, as well. There’s a little bit of everything — upbeat, dramatic, emotional and pure physicality. If you haven’t seen us before now, this is the show to see."

"When you start your own thing, at the beginning, you’re everything. I still wear lots of hats, but I’ve built a team of people I can trust. It means a lot to be able to step back a little and know that I have the right people in place."

"I never started a dance company for recognition. This is something bigger than me. I want this to last beyond me, and I want the community to feel ownership over it and be proud of it."