Megan Bridge and Zornitsa Stoyanova are both award winning and critically acclaimed performers and choreographers. They are both women, mothers, and people who are perhaps obsessed with the concept of “presence” in performance. Collectively, they have spent more than thirty years researching this topic.

In this performance conversation, they propose that “performance presence” is, in fact, an altered state of consciousness. They discuss, demonstrate, and explore their own techniques, compositional tools, and physical practices, for creating altered states. Zornitsa and Megan’s performance suggests different ways of being in the world, challenging neuro-normative modes of perception and being. They center these “presencing” practices as survival tactics, or strategies to help navigate the dailyness/deadliness of everyday life."

Altered States premiered in June 2021 at Etud Gallery in Sofia, Bulgaria. It has also been performed at the Fidget Space in Philadelphia, PA.

Click here to read Isabelle Mojares’ article about Altered States for the Dance Journal.