The Mimi Garrard Dance Company is pleased to announce an interview with C.M. Rubin at CMRubinWorld and Planet Classroom, discussing the ways in which Mimi Garrard is redefining dance through digital innovation. Rubin talked with Mimi Garrard about the company’s recent film, 23THSR, which is available for streaming on Planet Classroom during the month of February.

Renowned for her groundbreaking work in dance and digital media, Mimi Garrard continues to redefine movement on screen. A former dancer with Alwin Nikolais, her career spans decades of innovation in choreography and multimedia performance. She has created over 90 stage works, toured extensively across the U.S. and South America, and received two National Endowment for the Arts grants for choreography.

In recent years, Garrard has focused on dance for video, using digital techniques to transform movement into immersive visual experiences. Her work has been showcased in festivals, museums, and galleries worldwide, including on BBC Big Screen England and a planetarium dome in Mississippi. Over the past three years, she has participated in 2,536 international festivals, winning 1,385 first-place awards. She has received the Distinguished Alumnae Award from Sweet Briar College and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute of Arts and Letters in Mississippi.

23THSR, is an electrifying fusion of dance, music, and digital artistry. Featuring Samuel Roberts and inspired by Tom Hamilton’s abstract music, the film immerses viewers in a cosmic realm where movement and technology merge. With costumes by Mindy Nelson, 23THSR is a bold experiment in form, rhythm, and visual transformation, earning international acclaim, including winning the Filmzen International Film Competition in Paris.

The Global Search for Education is delighted to welcome Mimi Garrard to discuss the inspiration behind 23THSR, her artistic process, and the evolution of dance in the digital age.

Mimi, what is dancer Samuel Roberts expressing to us through movement, and how do the digital media elements enhance that storytelling?
Sam Roberts and I both used the music as a guide. Tom Hamilton’s music is abstract, and we wanted to reflect that abstraction in the movement and digital elements. The piece is not literal in any way, but we did want to place it in a cosmic environment. The digital media enhances the sense of infinite space, time, and energy, expanding the way we experience movement.

How did this collaboration begin—did Tom Hamilton’s music, dance, or the digital media ideas come first, and how did each element influence the others?
The piece began with the music. Sam and I listened to Tom Hamilton’s composition together, and then we started working. Interestingly, we did not use the music while filming—instead, I suggested abstract ideas for Sam to experiment with.
We explored questions like:
How can movement create an illusion of depth?
How can space be used to manipulate the perception of time or energy?
We worked on benches to create a better camera view and eliminate the constraints of a traditional proscenium stage. The process was highly experimental, with Sam watching playback to see what worked and what didn’t. The final structure of the piece was crafted in editing, which is a long and intricate process.

What was your holistic vision for the audience experience, and how did you ensure all elements came together cohesively?
Creating material with Sam is always experimental—we never know exactly how it will come together. We try many different things, including:
Close views and long views
Entrances and exits
Movements that flow toward or away from the camera
The final vision takes shape during editing, where I piece everything together to create something that resonates with me as an artist. I don’t approach the work with a predetermined idea of what the audience will like—my goal is to create something that feels visually and emotionally compelling.

Were there any unexpected discoveries or lessons learned during the creative process that led to new ideas or approaches in your work?
There are always unexpected discoveries. Sometimes, we reach what I call a “sweet spot”—a moment when everything looks perfect, and we can push beyond our initial concept.
Editing also brings its own set of surprises. If I stay patient and open, the universe always helps me find the right direction. However, I’ve also learned to recognize when something isn’t working—I’m not afraid to throw out an entire piece and start over if that’s what it takes to get it right.
23THSR is now streaming on the Planet Classroom Network, curated by Planet Classroom. Don’t miss it!

About Planet Classroom
The Planet Classroom Network brings together musicians, dancers, video game creators, filmmakers, learning innovators and emerging technologists from all over the world to entertain, educate and engage youth and to provide a rich cultural experience at a time when art and learning institutions everywhere are not accessible. The Planet Classroom Network is by youth for youth. Young people from around the world play a significant role in conceptualizing, creating, and producing the network’s vision and programming. www.planetclassroom.world

About Mimi Garrard
Mimi Garrard was a dancer with Alwin Nikolais. He produced her concerts at the Henry Street Playhouse for ten years, and then she toured under the National Endowment Touring Program for many years. In collaboration with James Seawright, her work was commissioned for CBS Camera Three and WGBH Boston television. She created more than 90 works for the stage that were performed throughout the United States and in South America. She received two grants for choreography from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Most recently Mimi Garrard has begun experimenting in new ways, creating dance for video using digital techniques to transform the dance material. Her work in this area is unique and is gaining increasing attention, being shown internationally on television, in museums and galleries and in international film festivals. She has won 1,401 first place awards in international festivals and won the Distinguished Alumnae Award from Sweet Briar College in 2019.

Mimi is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Institute of Arts and Letters in Mississippi for her outstanding achievement in dance both for video and for the stage. https://mimigarrarddance.com
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  February 12, 2025

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