Interconnections
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Artist in Residence, 2023
Residency Period: July 16th to 31st 2023
Rising above the Chihuahuan Desert, the Guadalupe Mountains
are the meeting point of the Rocky Mountains, the Southern
Great Plains, and desert ecosystems. Immersing myself in
this landscape during my artist residency in 2023, I was
amazed by the park's variety of landscapes. On a single
hike, one can pass through remarkably different terrains,
with a gradual transition from one ecosystem to the next.
The ecological interactions that occur at these boundaries
inspired the title of the piece I created here. Due in part
to the July heat, I went into the field every day to create
at around 6 am, exploring and creating a “movement diary”
of material which later became incorporated into the
choreography. Interconnections reflects this unique Texan
wilderness, inviting audiences to a deeper appreciation of
the Guadalupe Mountains.
This project was made possible by:
The National Park Service
Residency Moments
34.52 -93.05
Hot Springs National Park
Artist in Residence, 2023
Residency period: August 4th to 26th 2023
In 1832, Hot Springs Reservation became the
first piece of land in the United States to
be federally protected for conservation
purposes. This was aimed at preserving the
naturally occurring hot springs, which quickly
became popular as bathhouses provided health
treatment centers for people from across the
nation. Redesignated as a National Park in
1921, Hot Springs played a significant role
in the inception of the National Park Service
by providing an example of federally conserved
land that was profitable and well-managed. The
park's ecosystem reflects that of the surrounding
Ouachita Mountains, and I regularly encountered
a stunning amount of biodiversity on the trails
during my time there. The work I created at Hot
Springs was unique in that I sought to capture
both the park's natural landscape and its human
history, through movement and interviews with
park staff. In the resulting choreography, I
give audiences a taste of the many different
factors that make Hot Springs one-of-a-kind.
This project was made possible by:
The National Park Service
The Friends of Hot Springs National Park
Residency Moments
48.16, -88.45
Isle Royale National Park
Artist in Residence, 2024
Residency period: August 9th - 24th 2024
Music: "Over Wild Solitude" Composed by Katherine Bergman,
and performed by the St. Olaf Norseman Band
I created the piece 48.16, -88.45 during a two-week
residency on Isle Royale. This island archipelago,
isolated by Lake Superior, offers a unique opportunity
for solitude every year to artists who stay in the
historic Dassler cabin (the coordinates of which are
reflected in the title of my piece). During my
exploration of the island(s), including a five-day
hike across the fifty miles of the main island, I
felt incredibly lucky to be drawn into such a beautiful
place. These experiences inspired me to set my work
to “Over Wild Solitude,” a piece composed by Katherine
Bergman during her residency on Isle Royale a few years
before mine. My work explored the slower pace required
by time in the wilderness, contrasted with the excitement
of frequent, unexpected glimpses of moose, wolves, otters,
birds, and other animals that call the islands home.
This project was made possible by:
The National Park Service
The Keweenaw Parks Association
And The Copper Country Community Arts Center
Residency Moments
Below the Sea • Below the Sky
Production: ZID Theater Amsterdam
Premiere: 13th of December, 2025
Music: Elena Sergeeva
Voice: Lisette Schmidli
The piece Below the Sea: Below the Sky,
explores biodiversity in the Netherlands,
highlighting the ecological roles and
conservation challenges of key species and
environmental factors. The work juxtaposes
the success stories of reintroduced species,
such as the European bison and the returning
wolf, with the ongoing threats to pollinators
and the invisible crisis of nitrogen pollution
from industrial and agricultural runoff. By
detailing the unique biological adaptations
of animals alongside the necessity of human
intervention—ranging from restoring native
habitats to implementing smarter farming
strategies—the performance emphasizes that
the future of the Netherlands' ecosystems
depends on a shift in public awareness and
proactive environmental stewardship.
Performance Moments
Encounter
Production: Vuurol Theater Festival
Premiere: March 3rd, 2023
Choreographers and performers: Sofie
van Doorn and Beatrice Castaldo
Encounter was created in 2023 for the winter
edition of the Vuurol Theater Festival in
the Netherlands. The performance explores a
psychological duet between light and shadow,
personified by two dancers who navigate the
complexities of the human experience. Through
a narrative of discovery, Sofie (Light) and
Beatrice (Darkness) transition from initial
apprehension and hide-and-seek interactions
to a profound reconciliation of their respective
vulnerabilities and strengths. By blending
technical stage lighting with natural elements,
the choreography illustrates that these internal
forces are not opposing enemies, but essential
halves of a whole. Ultimately, the work delivers
a message of hope, suggesting that embracing our
darker parts leads to a more balanced, authentic,
and fulfilling life.
Process & Performance
Anderson Carvalho Dance and Choreography
Sofie has worked as a company dancer with Anderson
Carvalho Dance and Choreography (ACDC) since 2024.
She has been part of the productions:
Fragmented Landscape (2025)
Silent Symphony of Feelings (2024)
Which performed in South Africa, the Netherlands, and at
the Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Rwanda.
Performance Moments
T42 Dance Projects
Sofie worked as a company dancer with T42 Dance
Projects in Bern, Switzerland, under the direction
of Felix Dumeril and Misato Inoue. She has been part of the productions:
A Walk in Progress (2023)
A Maze With In (2022)
Kami Kami (2022)
These productions toured throughout Switzerland, and in Venice, Italy.
Performance Moments
Connect