Next station is a dance-theatre performance,  through movement and humor, that examines public transportation as a shared social experience. This work dives into the dynamics of communal spaces and the structures that govern them.

 

As someone who depends on public transportation (due to finances and health conditions)—I’ve had to think a lot about how the system works for people like me.I’ve become deeply attuned to the ways our transit systems are built, who they serve, and who gets left behind. Public transportation, to me is a snapshot of social values, class divides, and systemic barriers.

 

This project emerges from my lived experience navigating an arts career without access to a car. As a freelance dance artist, I travel constantly—between studios, festivals, rehearsals, and gigs—and often face logistical and financial obstacles simply getting to where I need to be. In a society that increasingly treats car ownership as the norm, even a necessity, the push toward individualism and the dismantling of public infrastructure (like transit funding cuts) sends a clear message: if you can’t keep up, you’re on your own.

 

Through this work, I want to explore public transit as a charged and symbolic space—one that reveals layers of privilege, marginalization, and environmental tension. Who gets to move freely through the city? Who is forced to wait, reroute, or walk further in the cold? Who is shamed for "not driving yet"?

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Choreography: Sarah U

Dancers: Sarah U, Kevin Li, Lamont

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Presented at What Lab, Exqusite Pressure, March 14 - 15, 2025.

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