Project|Oracle is the umbrella for the collaborative work of dance artists Maré Hieronimus (Brooklyn), Nicole Nigro (Toronto), and sound artist Cory Neale (Philadelphia).

About Project|Oracle
Project|Oracle is the umbrella for the collaborative work of dance artists Maré Hieronimus (Brooklyn), Nicole Nigro (Toronto), and sound artist Cory Neale (Philadelphia). They first came together in February 2014 at The E|MERGE Artist Residency at Earthdance Center for Creative Living in Massachusetts. Inspired by their shared love of the power of ritual, communal process, and the magic inherent in the experience of live performance, they have been co-creating body and site-based performance art work ever since. Their projects have been presented by chashama (NYC), New Dance Alliance Performance Mix (NYC), the CURRENT SESSION'S (NYC), and Earthdance (MA).

About our Creative Process
Our process explores the connections made between each other, as well as our relation to where, when and how we stand in time and space, and extending those findings, the commonalities, to the world around us. We explore each environment using the shifting field of the body as the point of origin as well as the intent and emotion in order to celebrate diversity and foster empathy. We employ set, sound, and lighting to further shape this connection with the audience, and devise ways in which witnesses can more intimately experience the work through close interaction with the performers of Project|Oracle.

The work of Project|Oracle often finds itself generated and investigated through visual art and imagery. Sound designs are explored through abstract painting investigations that then inform the qualities of light and space within the compositions. Other imagery is used to further develop, define and express our inquiry, such as the murmuration of birds, and the structure of seashells, as often used as video footage in scenic designs for performances of Project|Oracle. Collaborator Cory Neale found his way into dance and performance through visual and sound art, locating a need to bring imagery through sound to time-based media. Maré Hieronimus also has an extensive background and love of the visual arts and extends that into photography and video, while Nicole Nigro finds deep inspiration in the written word and poetry. The lines between dance, visual art, sound, and poetic experience are purposefully blurred in performance.

We believe that dance and performance is an essential part of our human landscape and a profound tool for understanding ourselves and the world around us. Too often it is hidden away and seen by only a few, but dance is a primordial form of expression and in many cultures an integral part of life rituals and communal living. Dance is our heritage and one of our keys to the beauty of the experience of human connection. Because of this, we look to create work that is in constant relationship to the world around us, taking the performance out of the theater and into the experience of life.