I create dances that are personal, both physically and emotionally. I have created dances about contemporary society that reflected the immediacy of what I observed in my daily life. I have examined themes such as fear and death and technology and race. I have explored relationships through the unraveling and revealing of emotions between individuals. I have illuminated private connections through highly charged kinetic interactions. I have pushed the limits of the physical body by investigating virtuosity and physical strength. I have also embraced the visual impact of an effortless gesture or a simple look.
By combining dance with technology such as animation, video and the Internet I am able to define the relationship of my physical body to my virtual presence, enabling me to discover the ways that I exist in both realms.
The hip-hop drumming of composer Jonathan Laine, the screaming guitar of Vernon Reid and the abstract classical compositions of composers Jeffrey Mumford and David Morneau inspire me with their contemporary sounds. I engage in music collaborations with composers who aren't afraid to fuse musical styles and create genre defying compositions.
Dance is most interesting to me when it is informative, engaging and physical. I try to present work that accomplishes these ideas and gives the viewer insight into their lives by revealing the truth of my life.
Boris Willis