During dancer and choreographer Marissa Alma Nick‘s April residency at Inkub8 (a Knight Arts grantee), Nick has developed what she terms Phase I of “Qualia”—an uninterrupted four-part performance that merges the arts of screen-dance, live performance, sound and installation. Qualia is a philosophical concept that refers to “individual instances of subjective, conscious experience,” such as one’s perception of a blue sky or the taste of tequila.

“Qualia.” Photo by Neil de la Flor

“Qualia emerged from my research into the concept and from the Inkub8 space,” says Nick. “The majority of the piece fell into place in the space, and I knew who I wanted to work with. The structure for the performance came in the first week of the residency, and the performance is based on variations of the same primary choreography.”

“Qualia.” Photo by Neil de la Flor

While observing rehearsals for “Qualia,” I gathered that Nick attempts to link the variations of our emotional sensations and/or reactions to stimuli through the movements of the dancers and the interactions between them. I didn’t preview the dance on film, so there is room for further connections to be made. These responses, however, are individual and subjective at the core, yet our collective reaction to a red flower or the scent of popcorn may be universal. This, I believe, is where Nick will attempt to bring the gap between the variations of individual human experiences.

“Qualia.” Photo by Neil de la Flor

“Qualia” opens on April 26th and 27th at 8 p.m. at Inkub8. Nick–along with a collective of Miami dancers including Pioneer Winter, Robert Fantum Belle, Galen Truer, Rebecca Kritzer and Jocelyn Perez–will immerse the audience in a “Qualia”-tative experience that rapidly moves through four phases of sensory experiences linked to flowers (loss), milk (sex), popcorn (play) and water (relief).

Watch “Qualia” on April 26-27 at 8 p.m. at Inkub8, 2021 NW 1st Pl., Miami. $15 donation. For more information, visit www.MarissaAlmaNick.com.