We Have Always Been There
2019
Meany Theater
Director: Alethea Alexander
Costumes: Michelle Lesniak
Music: Martin Messier, Sewing Machine Music Composition; Lasse Munk and Søren Andreasen D.O.R.T.H.E.; Caroline Shaw, Partita: III. Courante; Isabelle Pierre, Le Temps est Bon
Music Editing: Alethea Alexander
Dancers/Collaborators: Olivia Anderson, Gaby Bouzaglou, Tzu Nu "Jessica" Huang, Natalie Fernandi,
Estefania "Fani" Llamas, Chloe Miller, Charlotte Schoen, Megan Renee Sellman, Madison Shorter, Brooke Thimmig
We Have Always Been There is a response to the disappointing continuance of systematic roadblocks for women. Choreographed in collaboration with the cast of ten dancers, twenty ceramic plates and three wooden benches, the piece addresses the long history of women in the workforce who have consistently been present in physical and social labor without explicit recognition. The opening movement of the piece is a meditation on physicality, precision and machine-like collaboration between the dancers, and uses French sound artist Martin Messier's Sewing Machine Orchestra and Danish artists Lasse Munk and Søren Andreasen's D.O.R.T.H.E. ("a 15", pretty pale but incredibly warm and caring max/msp patch") to explore this history.
We Have Always Been There is a celebration of women's tenacity, dexterity, collaboration, humor and stamina. Sometimes humorous, sometimes sincere, the piece simply asks for the women on stage to be seen and to be heard.
Studio Photos: Steve Korn
Performance Photos: Tim Summers, Warren Woo