Britni Lariviere

Interview with Britni

Name: Britni Lariviere
Hometown: North Hampton, NH

What in your dance background has shaped you into the dancer that you are today? I grew up primarily with classical ballet. I also studied jazz and contemporary amongst other things. I did not formerly study classical modern until college. While at the Hartt School I studied Graham and Limon technique as well as ballet and contemporary. All of these things shaped me as a dancer, but I believe that ballet and Limon technique changed my body and how I approach movement.

My favorite thing about performing is the adrenaline rush.
 My go-to warm-up ritual is to put on a few layers, articulate my spine, give myself a basic Mat Pilates class to wake up and activate every muscle in my body, then do a modified ballet barre to find my center and balance, with stretching throughout. And I always finish with a meditative headstand!
What’s in your dance bag? Like most dancers in New York, I bounce from job to job so my dance bag is also my purse, lunchbox, and work bag. But for dance I always have some sort of reflexology ball, theraband, extra socks, water, deodorant, medical tape, and arnica cream!

The most rewarding aspect for me is when I am faced with a choreographic challenge and I accomplish it. I find that especially true with Daniel’s process. He asks things of my physical instrument that I haven’t truly explored before. When I cannot find a movement or transition immediately, I am compelled to figure it out. Once I do discover how to do something, I remember how amazing it is to challenge my body and mind every day in different ways.

What is a normal day-in-the-life for you? What is a “normal day”? I don’t have those! 
Every day is something new and I cannot remember the last time I was bored. I usually manage a Pilates studio in Gramercy in the morning, rehearse in the afternoon and teach Pilates in the evening. I have a dog and take care of her, I also have a couple odd end jobs that I do to help support my NYC lifestyle, and whenever possible I spend quality time with my friends and dog. I also try to sleep.

What keeps me going is what I do. I love my jobs and my lifestyle and I don’t think I would change much about it (except more hours in the day). To regain balance I enjoy making myself dinner and spending time at home with my dog. I also enjoy a solid twenty minute headstand almost every day. When I get a chance to take a class I approach it not as training but as an outlet.

Describe the process of working on The Oracle? As an understudy of two of the females it is a lot of memorizing! Daniel has a lot of partnered work and I am constantly trying to learn partnered material without an actual partner. 
 
What has been most challenging about process and the work? The most challenging part of the process for me is the different hours every week for rehearsal. I cannot be there for every rehearsal either and I cannot be there every time the two girls I understudy are called in.
Have you made any new discoveries during the rehearsal process? I have begun to better learn partnered material without a partner. It forces me to pay attention to detail and weight placement even more than I used to. The few times I actually got to try things with a partner I was able to do it fairly successfully because of this new approach.

Why do you think someone should come to see The Oracle at BAM at the end of May? What will they see? If someone chose to come to every show and sit in the North, South, East, and West seating, they would see a different show every time. Since The Oracle is performed in the round, no two seats will have the same show. Similar to my approach to The Oracle, it is forever changing and evolving through time. I was initially attracted to the innovative partnering. I now continue to be fascinated by it but also love that I am so challenged by his complex patterns and linear movement. Daniel is constantly challenging my mind as well as my body!