A Way Back: Isabelle Dayton on Memory, Movement, and the Moments That Shape Us
As part of the "A Way Back" campaign, New York–based dance artist and educator Isabelle Dayton explores how memory and movement shape her creative practice. Inspired by the Nostalgia Fragrance Collection, she reflects on the sensory moments that ground her in both past and present.
Can you describe a memory that immediately makes you feel comforted or happy
Most of my memories that make me feel comforted or happy aren't necessarily really active memories. They're more feelings of being at home, or being at my grandma's house, or being in the car with my mom or my dad.
What scents instantly bring you back to a specific moment or place?
My grandma's house smelled like this one leather chair that she had. It was in Texas and the heat was really hot, so I think it just made the leather chair smell extra leathery.
Are there any sounds from music, the city or nature that trigger a memory for you?
Birds - I feel like they are kind of rare here, other than pigeons. When I do hear a tweeting bird, it feels like I'm more at home.
Does remembering certain moments give you perspective?
Always. I think that's how I learn, and continue to make changes on how I make choices.
Are there any small, seemingly ordinary details from the past that now feel significant?
The smaller moments, the in-between moments from growing up or just being at home or being with family where it doesn't necessarily feel like a big moment are the ones that make me feel most connected to my childhood self.
How do memories of the past shape you as a person?
As a teenager I was very embarrassed - I used to think that they shaped me in a negative way. But now, I like to think that it’s something that brings me layers, humor and perspective.
Describe a moment when looking back that makes you feel grounded or calm.
My mom and I used to drive to dance, which was about two hours away from where I live. Before we started to take those long drives, I saw her as my mom when I was her kid, but I think once we started to have to spend that time together and unpack my day - that's when we became friends.
Does nostalgia help you connect to your own history, identity or surroundings?
I'm very nostalgic for everything that I encountered, especially as a kid. So I think it helps me zoom in on those things that maybe wouldn't be as significant otherwise just because of when they were presented to me.
Can you describe a memory through movement?
When I'm teaching younger kids, I’m very connected to what I used to do growing up in dance and in movement, which I don't do on my own. But I have to kind of put myself back in the shoes of what I was doing and how I got to where I was.
Can you describe your process of improvisation and dancing, and how it’s both a product of the moment and the past?
Improvisation, for me at least, feels really cyclical. It's something that I have to pull from a more natural motor, like breath or release. So it's things that come from a very natural place, and then you have to ride the wave. I think in general it’s just something that keeps going over and over again. A lot of people will say they have habits when they improv, that they can't shake out of, or it all looks the same. But the more you dig into those habits, sometimes is where you find something new. It's very similar to growing up and how time works where it doesn't feel like a lot is changing but it is.
