RISK AND TRIUMPH: Bellwether Dance Project’s Let Slip the Witches
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by AMY FOLEY
I WANT TO TELL YOU about a show. A show I’ve had in my dreams for years. It is a show that is full of heart and a little drama and lots of kick-ass dancing and a bit of hell raising too. It is a show that attempts to distill my 20+ years in this Bay Area dance community into something engaging and relevant; a show that features newer faces as well as older ones; a show that tries fresh approaches and pays homage to the past. And although it might not appear dangerous from the outside — a dance concert in a relatively traditional format and setting, in two acts with intermis- sion — for me, the show is full of risk. The show: Let Slip the Witches is the inaugural home season of Bellwether Dance Project, a con- cert made up of four works: three world premieres including one by Robert Moses, plus Thighs and Wages , my piece from 2016. The works are distinct but the throughline of the show is one of empowerment – empow- erment through connection, rage, resistance, and by simply being here, asking to be seen and heard. Is that cliche? Sorry! (Also, it’s not, or shouldn’t be). It is about staying in the game – not for the competition but for the conversation. To not just go away quietly because of lack of influence or power, chil- dren, or age. Let Slip the Witches What started as an exploration of choreo- graphic ideas around women’s bodies and the portrayal of othered women as witches or hags came to a temporary screeching halt when I learned about a well-known cho- reographer on the other coast currently in process on a work around the same con- cept, even drawing inspiration from the same exhibition and book (social media you are terrible/wonderful). As I took a pause from rehearsing while I questioned my creative originality, my eyes were tuned to all the witchy images and concepts around me: the title of a women’s playwriting festival, on
Bellwether Dance Project / Photos by Stephen Texeira
social media, woven through popular culture in books, movies, television shows, and yes, in the descriptions of numerous contempo- rary dance works. I started to wonder about the seemingly intensified and very feminist fascination and association with the Witch. Therein exists a strong sense of sisterhood and a return to the elemental, to the female, to nature, as well as implications of cunning and intuition. I began to wonder, are women embracing the symbol of a witch as a form of resistance? I have been asked if Let Slip the Witche s is political. My answer is yes. The title refers to the line in Shakespeare’s Julius Cae- sa r in which Marc Antony calls out, “Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!” as he incites the people against Caesar’s assassins. Here, I imply a bursting forth of witches, a
groundswell of female power. I can’t help but wonder if the renewed popularity of witches has less to do with spells and more to do with dissent. Considering that the people in posi- tions of power in our country, mainly men, make decisions about women’s bodies and rights; considering that our culture apparently accepts sexual violence as the norm and mis- use of power as acceptable, there is little won- der that women are turning to the archetype of the magical woman as a place of rebellion, quiet or loud. The witch has long stood as a symbol of oppression and freedom, of the othered and of power. In Let Slip the Witches , the four performers create a rhythmic world of ritual and self-resilience helped along by visual artist Julie Chang’s set design and a score by composer Ben Juodvalkis. Meantime, Nol Simonse,Tanya Bello and I are having way too much fun creating First Love, in 3 Parts . It is a genuine pleasure to work with two people who are dear friends, massively talented performers, and dance- makers I deeply admire. Three performers, three musical selections, three long careers, three intertwined yet divergent paths, one first love: dance. It is, in some ways, a recog- nition of a life spent as an artist and offers a balm to the considerable joys and pitfalls inherent in art-making. The piece may also be experienced as a statement about age, with the rare vision of three dancers in their 40s performing together on stage. Choreographer Robert Moses is giving me the ultimate gift of a solo choreographed on me. I danced with Robert Moses’ Kin for a decade and the process is as mind-bending and inspiring as ever – with more talking this time around. The piece is structured as part improvisation score, part set material, based off of our writings and conversations about presence, parenthood, personhood, and identity. Thighs and Wages (2016) addresses the experience of being a woman in the world.
The title alludes to the terms "thigh gap" and "wage gap," two concepts whose defi- nitions shine a light on an accepted cultural paradigm of objectification and undervalu- ing of women and girls. Thighs and Wages considers the ways in which women are placed under a ceaseless scrutiny that is at best, exacting; at worst, sinister. From this point of view we considered violence, cul- pability, fear, and strength. The performers explore these ideas on a theatrical journey through gesture, duets, and expansive, intentionally exhausting dancing. I am thrilled to revisit this work, which feels as pertinent as ever. It all feels a bit risky to me, as the risk- averse person that I am: artistically, emotion- ally, physically, financially, and more. I won- der if I have taken on more than I can handle and I continually question my decisions. But I also know that I revel in the creating and the dreaming and scheming and that I am immensely privileged to do this work at all. I am terrified and thrilled beyond measure to share what we have worked so very hard on. Mainly, I know that after 22 years in this dance community, the time is now. Risk shmisk. AMY FOLEY is a long-time, active member of the San Francisco Bay Area dance community. A dancer with Robert Moses' KIN for over a decade, Amy also has performed locally and nationally as a member of ODC/Dance, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Proj- ect Agora, Shift Physical Theater, RAWdance, Project B., KAMBARA+DANCERS, and more. She has enjoyed teaching technique to all ages and levels around the Bay Area and through master classes across the the country, currently on faculty at ODC and Ruth Asawa School of the Arts High School. She is the co-creator of SEAM (support and elevate artist mothers), a concert and programming in support of women’s leadership in the dance field. She was a 2017 Lead Artist at SAFEhouse and a 2018 recipient of Margaret Jenkins Dance Company’s CHIME award.
Bellwether Dance Project presents Let Slip the Witche s: Apr 4-6, ODC Theater, SF. odc.dance/witches
DANCERS’ GROUP Executive Director: Wayne Hazzard, Program Director: Michelle Lynch Reynolds, Program Assistants : Valerie Mendez, randy reyes, and Andréa Spearman, Bookkeeper: Michele Simon, Publication Design: Sharon Anderson
Dancers’ Group gratefully acknowledges the support of Bernard Osher Foundation, California Arts Council, Fleishhacker Foundation, Grants for the Arts, JB Berland Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Koret Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, San Francisco Arts Commission, Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation and generous individuals.
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In Dance | May 2014 | dancersgroup.org
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