Liz Mulkey & Co. – impossible pain, but totally manageable…kind of

Featuring six Maine-based dancers and a live cello score, Impossible pain… is an absurdist journey exploring the circuitous path of resilience.

An absurdist journey through the tangled terrain of the inner voice, Impossible pain careens between whispers and wild outbursts, awkward gestures and fluid swirls. With looping patterns, sudden detours, and moments of breath work stretched to their limit, this dance explores the circuitous—and often comically relentless—path of resilience, where progress feels like spiraling sideways and the only guide is the unreliable echo of your own mind. Featuring six Maine-based dancers and a live cello score.

Dancers: Liz Mulkey, Jacqui DeFrança, Kelsie Steil, Jenny Dignan, Holly Taylor, Laura Faherty, Anne Tantuico
Choreographer/Creator: Liz Mulkey
Cello: Robin Lane

Artist Bios

Liz Mulkey (she/her) is a choreographer, dancer, actor, and movement teacher whose work explores mental health, identity, and the natural world through award-winning films and live performances. With over 20 years of experience teaching somatic movement, dance, and fitness—including a decade on faculty at Loyola Marymount University—she is passionate about helping people feel joyful in their bodies. She loves to connect to teach, create, perform, or collaborate. Reach out!!  lizmulkey.com

Jacqui DeFrança (she/her) is a Maine-based dance artist and choreographer with a strong background in contemporary dance and improvisation. She has performed with Bare Dance Company and Flying Under The Radar, and has created movement for fashion shows, music videos, and various collaborative projects. Currently, she is involved in project-based work in both film and live performance while also being a mom and co-owner of an ice cream shop.

Kelsie Steil (she/her) is a New England-based choreographer and movement artist whose work fuses dance and character to craft evocative, story-driven performance. Rooted in collaboration and theatricality, her projects span stage and film, including the award-winning CRAVING THE MYSTIC and the full-length duet Rummage Lane. Informed by her recent immersive study of Commedia dell’Arte, Kelsie’s choreography explores the soul of character through movement, presented in venues across the region from SPACE Gallery to the Lila Dance Festival and City Theater. Learn more at kelsiesteilmovement.com.

Jenny Dignan (she/her) lives in Portland, Maine, where she makes her own work and enjoys working with local dancemakers including Hannah Kumaski, Liz Mulkey, and Kristen Stake. Dignan has also had the pleasure of being a guest performer with Subcircledance company in Biddeford, Maine. Back in the day, Dignan lived and danced in New York City, performing with choreographers including Jordan Fuchs, Mollie O’Brien, and Lionel Popkin. Dignan holds a BFA in dance from the Ohio State University.

Laura Faherty (she/her) has had the pleasure of performing with RAWdance (San Francisco), La Companía de Danzas Karina Roldán (Buenos Aires), as a guest artist with the José Limón Dance Company, and Ballet Bloom Project (Portland). She graduated from Princeton University with degrees in History and Dance, where she studied with Jessica Lang, Rebecca Lazier, and David Dorfman. A pediatrician at Maine Medical Center and public health researcher with RAND, Laura lives in the Portland area with her husband and two daughters.

Robin Lane (he/him) is a cellist, composer, educator, music producer, and sound engineer living in Portland, Maine. Lane engages in interdisciplinary collaborations and performs frequently in wellness and mindfulness spaces. His original compositions explore the influence of mindfulness practices and nature on music creation, with the intention to be of service to the well-being of all.

Anne Tantuico (she/they) is a performing artist and creator originally from NJ currently based in Southern Maine. Her current work is informed by dissolution through repetition, collective experience, and nostalgia. Anne graduated with honors from Rutgers University with a BFA in dance and a minor in Art History.

Holly Taylor (they/she) is a Portland, ME-based movement educator, choreographer, and arts administrator. Recent exploits include: improvisation with interactive Chroma2Four sculptures; musical choreography for the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine; a duet tangled in pairs of long socks; and site specific workshops with Portland Youth Dance and TEMPOart. Holly received their B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and M.A. in Performance Studies from NYU Tisch.