About Maureen Fleming

Choreography

Fleming's choreography involves a process that she developed and describes as
“a meticulous dissolving of ‘archetypal moments’ through an arc that becomes my choreography”. Fleming records her improvisations and begins the process of identifying the archetypal moments. Through a process of dissolving her original images, one into the other, she first documents her choreography in her studio on video, establishing the concept, choreography and title of the work preceding all photo sessions.

Images from her original documentation become the source material for creating press photos and multi-media images of her work. ‘Archetypal moments’ that Fleming selects from her original documentation are then repeated numerous times and from varying angles in photo sessions with photographers, a tremendous boon to both artists.

Dialogue of Self and Soul (2006)

The Immortal Rose (2007)

From Fleming’s original choreography, dynamic movement images have been captured in dance photography since 1984. Beginning with a photo session with Kent Barker, of her choreography Birth Song for American Way Magazine (1984) Fleming first established her process of working with dance photographers, involving the repetition of Fleming’s pre-recorded video stills.

Birth Song (1984)

Also, in 1984 Fleming’s work ‘Psyche’ was captured by photographer Robert Chasin and became Fleming’s first press photo.

Psyche (1984)

Creative exchanges followed with photographers Maje Waldo, Edin Velez, J. B. Huynh, and in 1991, photo sessions with photographers Philip Trager and Lois Greenfield began. Fleming’s concepts, choreography and signature movement images, dynamically captured by these photographers, have appeared in books, calendars, dance photography exhibitions and on stage as part of her multimedia performances.

Fleming’s creative process with photographers and the arresting images created, explodes the archetypal moment…between… choreographer and photographer.

The original copyright and titles that accompany each photo below refer to the year and place Fleming’s Concept,Choreography and Performance was first documented in a video still. The photo date refers to the year that the same image was captured in a photo session with the photographer credited, and Fleming gave the photo copyright to the photographer.