Actress and dancer from the acclaimed animated short film “Jibaro,” from Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots, Sara Silkin’s movement-narratives teach us that there is much more to observe inside the incredible art of dancing and choreography.

PULP: Hi Sara, thank you for taking the time to give us some Pulp. How are you?

SARA: I’m doing well, just finished teaching for the day and about to take my new puppy on a walk. 

PULP: How would you describe a "movement narrative"?

SARA: Movement is expressive of an individual’s inner state and communicates information physically both unconsciously or consciously. I’ve always been interested in capturing the gestures, spatial patterns, and tension stored in the body’s memory. I play with that information to choreograph my own physical stories. I use the term “movement narrative” for my own work, it allows me to integrate writing and acting into my choreographic process. 

PULP: It's often said that dance is a form of medicine, would you say that's true for you? Why or why not?

SARA: I’m not sure if I would call dance medicine. Although it feeds my soul… it’s more like dance is home. It’s a part of me––part of the fabric of my identity. It’s the clearest way I communicate my feelings. I work through ideas by creating movement, starting with a concept, and maybe even a character to begin developing dances. The process can be healing and destructive, all at the same time. 

PULP: As you look backwards, when would you say that dance first "changed your life?"

SARA: The reality is that dance continues to change my life. I teach dance to students ages 12-18, mostly advanced students who want to study dance in college or go off to a professional company. Their hunger and determination to learn and grow has kept me reaching to achieve my own personal dreams––I have to keep learning to keep up with them. When I’m teaching, I have to be able to direct them through my words, movement, and energy; to guide them on their own artistic path. Again, there are always two sides to everything. I believe dance is the greatest love of my life. I’ve dedicated most of my life to my art, which means difficult sacrifices had to be made. I’ll leave it at that.

PULP: You were recently a feature for Netflix's Love, Death, and Robots, what was it like working with Alberto Mielgo?

SARA: I have an incredible amount of respect, admiration, and gratitude to have worked for such a visionary director. Alberto Mielgo is a one-of-a-kind artist whose laser-focused attention to detail brings clarity to a collaborative process. He transfers his passion onto you. The animatic alone for Jibaro set the bar very high and pushed me to create with an awareness of every second in the frame. 

PULP: When you find yourself dancing just for the sake of dancing, what type of music are you listening to?

SARA: I like to dance to sad music, where the lyrics pierce my heart and make my body want to move. 

PULP: What's your "perfect Sunday?"

SARA:  My ballet teacher, Stefan Wenta, recently passed away in August at the age of 96. Before his passing, I would be in his class at Mimoda dance studio in Los Angeles every Sunday at 10am, followed by a coffee or lunch date with a friend. I still haven’t solidified a new Sunday routine. Hopefully I can reconnect with my ballet community soon.

PULP: Who would you coin as your biggest influences in dance?

SARA: To name a few from different disciplines that I admire: Charlie Chaplin, David Rousseve, Llyod Newson, Pina Bausch, Giulietta Masina, Leos Carax, Jean Pierre Jeunet, and Kitty Mcnamee,