Inspired by National Women’s History Month, Tania writes: I created
“Voices That Move Me” in response to world women’s literature of our
time. Each scene in is an interpretation—not a literal adaptation—of
the chosen works. Some are classics and others lesser known, but all
share an acute feminist sensibility and international influence. The
piece features writers who attracted me due to the strength of their
voices, their divergent cultural and social backgrounds, and their
distinctive vision. The dance represents the sharp gaze of Joan Didion
(USA), the creative imagination of Angela Carter (UK), the social
commitment of Jackie Ogega (Kenya), and the delicate and tender
melancholy of Dulce Maria Loynaz (Cuba).
Scene One: Joan Didion, USA (1934-2021)
Joan Didion is known for her insightful journalism, novels, and screenplays, and
her far-reaching influence on generations of artists. Scene 1 nods to her books
Play It as It Lays (1970) and The Year of Magical Thinking (2005)—stories that
address the mysteries of love and death that bookended her life. The characters,
reflecting the life of Joan and her husband, are at times comfortable and happy
and at times stressed by life as celebrities on public exhibition. In a second
movement, one of the characters commits suicide as the other watches without
intervening (taken from Play It as It Lays). The scene ends with a reading from The
Year of Magical Thinking.
Scene Two: Angela Carter, UK (1940-1992)
Angela Carter personifies imaginative richness, theatrical characters, and ardent
feminism. This dance, drawn from her story “The Loves of Lady Purple” (1974)
and a poem called “Unicorn” (1963), presents a duet in which neither the
arrogance of the puppet master nor the fragile dependence of the puppet are
what they seem. Gradually, we see the puppet realize the power her sensuality
exerts over her puppeteer, which she uses to subvert the role of
dominant/dominated. Now the characters emerge more as individuals with an
interdependent, love/hate relationship.
Scene Three: Jackie Ogega, Kenya (1969- )
Jackie Ogega’s memoir, Home Is Us, tells the story of the survival and ultimate
triumph of her mother, Marcella, in the deeply patriarchal society of Kenya. This
scene portrays several elements of Home is Us: a mother's determination to
challenge an abusive husband and his ancestral culture of violence towards
women, her flight to create a safer life for herself and her three daughters, and
the salvation of the family, symbolized in a girl. The dance is a tribute to the
courage, intelligence, and devotion of a mother and daughter.
Scene Four: Dulce Maria Loynaz, Cuba (1902-1997)
Dulce Maria Loynaz refused to applaud and flatter the Cuban communist
government and was for a long time better known abroad than in her own
country. She grew up in an upper-class home full of literature, music, and
intellectual discourse, sheltered from the dramatically changing world outside. In
her poem “Last Days of a House,” we see two images of the same woman: the
younger, consumed by her own anxieties, and a wise older version, oblivious to
vanities, waiting in peace for the last days of her life. Although the poem was
written in 1958, its spirit of decadence, loneliness, and absence haunt Cuba today,
where people pine for past glories and families are painfully fragmented. I remain
indebted to Loynaz’s sweet, soft poetry, her evocative images and intelligence.
“VOICES THAT MOVE ME”
is made possible by the generous support of:
Jane Woods, Presenting Sponsor
Sarasota Contemporary Dance
Overture Group
RBC Wealth Management
Reliable Tax Data Corp, Dallas, TX
Nicole Nicholson
BT on the Boulevard
Trader Joe’s
Noela Chocolate
Lueanne Wood, KW Island Life Real Estate
Rick & Irma Uhler, Azul Steak House & Sushi Lounge
Dramatic Reflections Photography
Special thanks to Eve Marino
Rehearsal Space provided by Sarasota Contemporary Dance and the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School
Graphic Design by Nikitas Kavoukles
