#FriendsFriday 51 - Alisa Oleva
Originally from Moscow, Alisa is inspired by urban culture and interactive performance
Image of ‘Russian Manchester’, a guided walk through an imagined city
Alisa treats the city as her studio
Prefer to listen to the interview? Listen to the audio version here:
How are you/have you been involved with Casson & Friends?
I first met Tim Casson when he was teaching a technique exchange workshop at Chisenhale with Hamish MacPherson about PlayDance practice. I had so much fun and shared their passion for playing, which is a huge part of my practice. Later Casson & Friends were invited to be part of the Encounter Bow, a site-responsive outdoor dance/performance/parkour event that I curated with Chisenhale Dance Space. They performed The Dance WE Made, which was a great success.
Then during this pandemic summer I was attending Casson & Friends conversations session where we were just catching up with each other and talking about things that mattered to us in those times of change. Later Tim invited me to be part of Casson & Friends family with this micro-commission about which I am so happy and hope many will contribute to the WalkCollage.
What do you love about dance?
I love that anyone can do it in so many different ways in any place. It can even be invisible - you can be dancing inside you. I also feel that it offers an alternative way to connect and communicate with people, which for me is more intimate and profound than a conversation, for example.
During the lockdown, me and my boyfriend used to go late in the evening to Hackney Downs, and just dance there in the darkness to the music - it was the best thing to do!
What song always makes you dance? (We have a Spotify playlist!)
I am actually not very good with specific songs. But I like the sounds of the city. Sometimes the sounds of a passing train, music from a car driving by or of leaves under my feet really make me want to dance.
Listen to the #FriendsFriday playlist on Spotify
What else are you working on at the moment? (Upcoming performances, exciting projects, holidays!)
I am finishing documentation for a very important project I did in the lockdown - Walking Home. I invited women in Istanbul to walk me to where it feels like home for them in their city. We were connected over a phone and I was walking at the same time as them, but here in London (https://www.walkinghome.online/) I also did two walks exploring what makes us feel safe/unsafe in the city (http://wovenart.works/safeunsafe). On the first Saturday everyone was invited to walk to a place where they feel safe in their city and then we had a chat in a Whatsapp group about where they chose to go and what makes them feel safe there. And next Saturday participants were invited to go to a place they feel unsafe (or near) and have a discussion as well.
Soon there will also be an online zine published: I invited women artists to contribute with a score/instruction which could be performed by anyone at home. I will share it when it is available!
I have also been selected for The School of Broadcasting by Arts Catalyst and I am enjoying learning so much - already had my first workshop.
Any links? (Links to your work, your company website, Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud etc?)
https://www.instagram.com/alisaoleva/
https://m.bianet.org/5/193/232979-walking-artist-alisa-oleva-walk-me-home - big interview about Walking Home
Meet more of the Casson & Friends team on Fridays with #FriendsFriday!