Ellen Oliver

<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">Ellen Oliver and Dayita Nereyeth are creating a new duet titled LITTLE NODS, which explores friendship, distance, and connection. Longtime collaborators since college, Ellen (Massachusetts) and Dayita (Bangalore) have created work virtually for years. LITTLE NODS marks their first in-person collaboration since 2014 and will premiere on March 7, 2026, at TEN31 Productions in Pawtucket, RI. Drawing from past works—one with balloons, the other with a bonsai plant—the piece examines how proximity transforms creative process and connection. Support will fund production costs for sharing this research with the public. For the first time, they will incorporate physical partnering, which virtual methods couldn’t support. This rare opportunity to be in the same city allows them to deepen choreographic research and reconnect through shared space. LITTLE NODS is both a culmination of their long-distance collaboration and the start of a new chapter in their shared artistic journey.</span></p>