On the stage (and in the classroom), Yo-El Cassell approaches accessibility through movement.
by Denae Wilkins (COM’18)
Dancer, choreographer, and educator Yo-El Cassell first discovered the power of movement at the age of three; partially deaf, expression through movement opened a new world of communication for the toddler. He has since dedicated his life to helping others discover this language of movement for themselves. More than just a series of steps, movement is a practicum that can help artists locate a sense of accessibility within them. “College students, especially those pursuing art, are figuring out their place in the world the same way movement thankfully allowed me to find when I was three,” he says.
Last fall, Cassell joined the faculty at the College of Fine Arts (CFA). As Assistant Professor of Movement, he consistently shares this lesson with his mentees and students. During his first semester at BU, Cassell quickly learned that CFA students are hungry for accessibility through movement, but he simultaneously discovered their love of movement came with an additional sense of fear.
“Movement,” he says, “is an art form that is often associated with dance. And while dance elements are within the movement world, the importance of movement practice is how it allows movement in any shape or form, be it gestures or physical responses, as an expressive channel for our inner thoughts and imagination. It’s about embracing self through movement concepts that can stimulate, promote, and highlight. The key to movement practice is engaging both the ecstatic self and informative self, treating these two selves as equal partners. One doesn’t dominate the other.”
Cassell firmly believes his place in CFA is an important one, and he is thoroughly appreciative of the opportunity to work with artists on the cutting edge of self-discovery. “Now, more than ever, it is important to change their perception of themselves as artists, to help them lift the boundaries they may have set for themselves in the past and to allow movement practice to be an expressive channel to navigate through those self-implied boundaries.”
Cassell challenges students to answer the question that has guided most of his career: “How does movement inform my life, and most importantly, how does my life inform movement?” And for himself, Cassell is determined to answer this: “How can movement be incorporated in CFA’s curriculum to inform theater and music and visual arts?”
Developing this personal connection with movement during his formative years, Cassell takes a more conceptual approach to his art form. Throughout his years of study and hands-on work with people from many different walks of life, there has been a common thread, a lesson he learned at a very young age. “Movement to some can be therapeutic, but truly it is an impactful and truthful channel of the expressive self,” Cassell explains. “It is not about trying to be perfect, but rather about embracing the true self through the medium of movement. Not only for those who watch, but those who teach it as well.” Cassell is eager to discover how an audience feels immersed in a performance, and understand the visceral impression they gain from the story he sets out to tell.
Being hearing-impaired, movement is not only a tool for self- expression for Cassell, but also a way to unpack and understand the world around him. He hopes his time at CFA results in similar revelations for his students. Through his curriculum, he is determined to support them in unlocking a sense of ownership over their voice and their bodies. And while he performs on the dance floor without abandon, he reminds the students that “the goal of movement is not to impress the audience, but to impress the material you perform. Follow the pulse of the material and let that move you.”
Yo-El Cassell is Assistant Professor of Movement at BU, former resident choreographer for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, movement consultant for Boston Landmarks Orchestra, and on the faculty of Harvard Dance Center. Cassell is also the Artistic Director and Founder of 360, a movement theatre ensemble comprised of male actors and musicians whose mission is to highlight the importance of storytelling through movement.