I first dreamed of The Body I Gave It in May 2023. I was celebrating my 24th birthday and feeling the foundation that I had built myself on shaking.

I had given everything — my time, my training, my body, my belief — to something that didn't last. When it ended, I found myself standing at the edge of a life I no longer recognized, preparing to return with nothing but the question of what comes next.

What followed wasn't something I ever expected. I found myself questioning things about myself and my work that I had previously felt secure about. My definition of success radically changed. My values shifted. Working through this stage of my life and work has taken longer than anticipated. I originally thought I would be premiering this in summer 2024, but I kept needing to dig deeper and digest.

The Body I Gave It is a solo movement work about grief, identity, and the body's odd insistence on continuing. My original questions surrounding this work centered on love, loss, and grief, and my belief that life is a cyclical journey of these three motifs. And this exploration began with a character study. This is when I created MATILDA. Anyone who has discussed my work with me in the past 3 years has probably heard of Matilda. She is a character that became how I processed my own inner world into something that felt sharable. Matilda has been present in many scenes and iterations over the past 3 years as I've explored and experimented with different ways of presenting her. Now, her story has evolved beyond being a character for me to hide myself in, but a specific story I am ready to tell.

Now, on my 27th birthday (May 22, 2026), I am going to present Matilda and her many forms in The Body I Gave It. This show will include some scenes that I've performed before; many now redeveloped into something that feels very different from before.

This is the show I needed to make. I'm asking for your help to take it into this final stretch.

So much has already been poured into this project. I have secured enough funding to cover my performance venue, lighting designer, and my dear friend and collaborator, Aidan Rex, has been working to develop/produce original music for The Body I Gave It. This fundraiser is meant to put more funding behind my set development, costuming, and promotional materials as well as cover rehearsal rentals (instead of paying out of my own pocket).

The shows will be held at SomArts at the Hive in Somerville, MA on May 22 and 23, 2026. Time TBD. More information will be announced soon.

Between now and opening night, I will be working with Aidan Rex to finish developing the music for the show. With the help of my dad, Scott Abbott, and my mentor, Jun Kuribayashi, we are working to design and build a set piece. I've already acquired most of the set that will be used during the show.

Development of this show has been supported financially and otherwise by so many to get to this point. I'd like to thank Midday Movement, Boston Moving Arts, NACHMO Boston, and the Mass Cultural Council for all their work to support artists and specifically what they have done to support me and this project.

Photos/videos by Baby Viking Photography. Music by Aidan Rex.

The Body That I Gave It

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