Under Review Gold Butte

Under Review

Under Review is an environmental dance film series that takes place in various American national monuments beginning in 2018. By drawing attention to the public lands that were under review, the series aims to increase public awareness of the threatened lands and promote protection of our nation’s disappearing wilderness.

On December 4, 2017, two national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, were drastically reduced to allow for oil and gas development. This reduction put 25 other national monuments and 40 national parks at risk for oil and gas extraction, mining, logging and commercial development. Exploitation of land is happening everyday, destroying the already limited untouched wildlife and nature in this country and further contributing to climate change.

Under Review Katahdin

The series will consist of four films, each highlighting a unique and threatened national monument, using scores, narrative, and choreography specifically crafted for each location. 

In order to successfully showcase the wide reaching effects of these environmental changes, the cast and crew will film across the country to show biodiversity: a forest, a desert, a meadow, a body of water, etc. The series will showcase Gold Butte National Monument (2018 production), Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (2019 production), Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (2023 production), and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (2026 production).

Why Dance?

Dance is used to enhance the natural beauty of these landscapes. Storytelling through movement allows the audience to become more emotionally invested in protecting the national monuments and land at stake in our current world climate. While dance and environmental studies may be a seemingly incongruous pair, dance is the perfect medium to evoke a spectrum of emotions on the issue: decay, destruction, but also, even more importantly, hope.

Under Review

My purpose isn’t to simply end the battle with the government. Rather, my purpose is to inform the public about these lands so we are encouraged to vote, behave and respond in an educated way that allows our planet to heal.



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