Our name

The name Cumulus has a few meanings:

  • We are the sum of our experiences. Our dance skills and other talents are cumulative, our capacity for artistic expression becoming richer and deeper the more life we’ve lived.

  • Cumulus clouds are the kind that spark the imagination — each of us sees different shapes when we gaze up at them. These clouds represent our dance dreams and all the unique shapes whereby they can be fulfilled.

  • Accumulation:a compositional method attributed to Trisha Brown where new movements are added to existing movements in a successive manner: 1, then 1 + 2, then 1 + 2 + 3.

cumulate cu·​mu·​late | \ ˈkyü-myə-ˌlāt \ , verb
1. to build up by addition of new material 2. to combine into one

cumulus cu·​mu·​lus | \ ˈkyü-myə-ləs \ , noun
1. heap 2. [Latin] a puffy cloud often piled up like a mountain

cumulous cu·​mu·​lous | \ ˈkyü-myə-ləs \ , adjective
1. resembling a heap or a pile 2. gathered together or made less diffuse; "their concentrated efforts"; "her concentrated attention"; "concentrated study"

accumulate ac·​cu·​mu·​late | \ ə-ˈkyü-m(y)ə-ˌlāt \ , verb
1. to gather or pile up 2. to increase gradually in quantity or number