Current Projects

The Knocking Within

Crane (India, 2002)

Choreographed in India as part of “Safar,” Crane is inspired by a line by the Japanese priest Saigyo:
“the autumn dusk,
a snipe alights
from the marsh...”

The creation of Crane was supported by the Puffin Foundation, Bodhi Music, the Park Hotel Chennai, the American Institute of Indian Studies, Harvard Summer School, and the Rishi Valley School.

“Crane,” a 25-minute dance presentation was based on a Japanese poem about the bird that lives in the marshes, its journeys and struggles likened to those faced by man. The movements were symbolic and the graceful dancers performed complicated movements that demanded concentration and suppleness.”
– The Hindu (Chennai, India)

Moth (India, 2007)

Commissioned by Muzzafar Ali for the Jahan-e-Khusrau Festival 2007, Delhi, "Moth" follows the archetypal moth from its emergence from the cocoon, then as it begins to fly, and is drawn inexorably towards the flame.

Dragon (Japan, 2003)

Part of “Hands: Rhythm Project,” Dragon was originally created in Tokyo on dancers from the Mieko FUJI dance company, and later on US dancers for the 2005 Seattle International Children’s Festival. It tells a folk tale about a young girl who is transformed into a dragon. The music and concept of Dragon were created by and in collaboration with Kentaro Uchida.

Supported by a Creation and Presentation grant from the NEA, The International House of Japan and the Tokyo American Center.

“When Wendy Jehlen goes on stage, you know you are in the realm of the heart. It was a stage performance that went beyond the limits of a particular dance form, and yet it was not the kind of `overt' fusion where the components vie for attention as unique parts of a whole....more than the sum of its parts.
– The Hindu (Delhi, India)

“…had the purity of a Zen garden. Restricted to a few elements, this challenging dance requires the viewer to stop searching for a plot and instead to discern the eccentricities of abstraction. Wendy Jehlen’s gorgeous Dawn was about the careful generation of rhythm and tempo in the arms, an elegant accumulation of energy.”
– The Boston Herald
(review of "Dawn," one of the episodes of Become)

video of "Found Objects," one of the episodes of Become

Forest (2010)

Escape the confines of

our urban world and step into

the ever-evolving, unpredictable world of the forest -

a world unfamiliar and alluring,

full of serenity and sensuality,

conflict and metamorphosis.

Past Projects (a selection)

Become

Become consists of eight episodes, ranging from 1 to 15 minutes in length. Become unfolds over eight episodes, each built from a single gesture. Each episode takes a gesture out of context and projects it onto the full body. As it is expanded in time and space, an environment, a world, a character is revealed. Moving from introspection to discovery, from despair to ecstasy, Become is a distillation of mood and meaning.