A Hugging Composition

“A Hugging Composition” was originally conceived as a research project titled “A Hugging Composition” in the Performance Studies Department at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in New York City. The premiere of this participatory dance experience took place at Ufff in Poznań, Poland. What exactly is a hug? What is necessary for it? How many bodies does it take to create this act - and can it exist without physical touch? Can you hug someone with just a look? Or with a thought that can travel vast distances? How does hugging a stranger differ from hugging someone close to you? And how close is far, and how far is close? “A Hugging Composition” is an experiment in the architecture of affect. Entangled in networks of relationships as vast as the universe, we meet in a collaborative and live composition of our here and now.

Monika Błaszczak is a dancer and choreographer whose practice reimagines the possibilities of dance as a medium of transformation that opens portals into the unknown. Originally trained as a professional ballerina, she later transitioned to experimental and interdisciplinary approaches to dance. She is the founder of Monika’s Dance World, established in 2025. She is the creator of the movement practice Soliloquy – Hauntological Somatics, which she has taught internationally. Her performances have been presented in Europe, Asia, South America, and North America, including at Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, The Place, Laban Theatre, V.O Curations, South London Gallery, Polish Dance Theatre, and the Barbican Centre. She holds degrees from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied under André Lepecki, and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Her work has been supported by numerous awards and residencies, including the Young Poland Scholarship, the Young Arts Medal, NYU Performance Studies Award, and the Trinity Laban Innovation Award.