Lunar Retreat is a multi-sensory performance inspired by the gradual distance growing between the Moon and Earth. This immersive journey invites audiences to wander, witness, and reflect on how we move through care, loss, and transformation—both individually and collectively. Created by choreographer Nichole Canuso in collaboration with a visionary team of designers, Lunar Retreat opens a space for poetic, playful, and communal connection with the shifting rhythms of our planetary bodies. Lunar Retreat reflects on our deep evolutionary ties to the ocean and the moon, reminding us that we are all interconnected with the natural world.

Via pre-recorded prompts on headset, audiences are guided through a performance installation that includes live feed video, individualized activities and moments of group ceremony. While in residence with LMCC, Nichole and her collaborators will be in the research and development phase for Lunar Retreat. During their time at Governors Island, they will set up a few sections of the installation in room A3 and A4 and prepare to share these with audiences for feedback and reflection.

Showings will take place on June 20th. In 4 intervals (12:30pm, 1:30pm, 3pm, 4pm) 12 audience members at a time will be invited to experience a 30 minute excerpt of the work.  www.nicholecanusodance.org

ARTIST BIOS

Nichole Canuso is a choreographer, teacher and performer and founder/artistic director of Nichole Canuso | Branching Paths (previously Nichole Canuso Dance Company, founded in 2004). Dedicated to ensemble-generated processes, her work aims to create connections across distances and life experiences. Her dedication to dance manifests as performances, installations, films and intimate dialogues. Her projects often use technology to bring performers and audiences together in tender exchanges. 

Canuso’s choreographic projects have been presented by New York Live Arts (NYC), American Repertory Theater (MA), Los Angeles Performance Projects (CA), the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival (NYC), HERE (NYC), The International Festival for Art and Ideas (New Haven, CT), Judson Church Movement Research(NYC), DancePlace (D.C.), Links Hall (Chicago), ODC (San Francisco), Velocity (Seattle) Trafo (Budapest, Hungary) Onèsimo International Dance Festival (Guadalajara, Mexico) Mezi Ploty Festival (Prague, Czechia) Scenscierge Swedish Biennale (Västerås, Sweden) and Philadelphia FringeArts, who commissioned several of Canuso’s larger works. Choreographic residencies include 2009 and 2014 fellowships at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (FL), MacDowell (NH), Millay (NY), Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences (GA), Dance OMI (NY), The Orchard Project (NY) Headlands Center for the Arts (CA) the BiLateral Residency (Budapest, Hungary) and Bogliasco Center (Liguria, Italy)

She has been a faculty member of the MFA program at Rowan University/Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training (APT) since 2012. She is a 2017 Pew Fellow, a 2021 New York Stage and Film/NEXUS fellow and a 2025 United States Artist Fellow.