Tend

MORE INFO

WHEN IS IT?:
In 2025, Tend will be installed at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin from January 10th – 31st.  Appointments are available at 12:30pm, 1:00pm, 1:30pm, 2:00pm, 2:30pm, 3:00pm, 3:30pm, and 4:00pm on Friday and Sundays.  Tend has previously been installed at The Chicago Cultural Center in 2024, Berger Park Gunder House in 2023, and Indian Boundary Nature Play Center in 2022 & 2023.

HOW DOES IT WORK?:
You book an hour-long appointment for yourself with one technician performer as a primary host for you, who will offer dance performance, conversation, and touch. Your technician will also be working in collaboration with another technician in the space to co-create the experience. You can come alone if you prefer, or bring one friend, who will have a vicarious experience of the show (dance and talk, but not touch). The friend ticket is complimentary with the client ticket. Each appointment will overlap with other people’s appointments, offering both client and friend additional layers of vicarious experience.

CAN I CHECK IN WITH MY TECHNICIAN BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE?:
There will be time to communicate with your technician before your service begins if there is anything you want addressed or avoided that comes up closer to the appointment. We have scheduled into your arrival time an additional 15 minutes to get oriented before the service begins. We will be sure to ask you upon arrival if there are any parts of your hands, arms, shoulders, neck, upper chest, head, knees and feet that we should not touch or put weight on. This dance will be tailored to you and we will care-take you to the best of our ability.

WHO IS PERFORMING TEND?:
Tend currently has five technicians that you can book your appointment with: Chih-Hsien Lin, Enid Smith, Helen Lee, Gina Hoch-Stall, and Jonathan Meyer. Please read about them at www.khecari.org/tendbios. The ticketing site will specify who is performing at each time slot so that you may choose whom you book your appointment with. However, we may need to make last-minute changes because of someone calling in sick. We will inform you ahead of time in this event, but cannot guarantee that you will see the technician you intended to be with. If you have a specific reason that you cannot be paired with someone else or we can’t secure a new technician to fill in, we will give you a refund. Thank you for your support as we prioritize a healthy service space for you and the performers.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT ACCESS ENVIRONMENT FOR THE SPACES TEND WILL BE INSTALLED?:
The Kohler Museum is wheelchair accessible. There are minimal scents present in the space except for the smell of the use of cleaning wipes between clients on surfaces, peppermint essential oil used to refresh the space before we open the house at 12:30pm, and the scents that individuals choose to wear. We will be asking people to be mindful of wearing highly scented products. One technician speaks both Mandarin Chinese and English. Children are welcome to come to the appointment with an additional caregiver to experience the work from a seating bank nearby. If you need to bring dependent children without a caregiver coming in addition to you, please be in touch with us so we can arrange the support you need. Service animals are also welcome. All other access services available upon request 2 weeks before your service.