Our second EDC choreographer spotlight is on Laura Briggs! Laura is a junior in Emory College studying dance and chemistry. Read on to find out more about the context of this work, as it investigates the boundary between sexuality and absurdity.
In early January I visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York City to see their exhibit on the history of fashion. One item in the exhibit kept drawing my attention - a pair of black stilettos Named after a medieval weapon whose needle-thin blade could penetrate chain-mail armor, the stiletto elongates the leg and forces a posture that accentuates the breast and buttocks. In contemporary culture, the stiletto can be framed as oppressing or empowering. It represents the woman as sexual object and sexual subject.
This museum visit sparked a dance-making process for me that asks, "What are our human mating rituals? How do they compare to the intricate and innate mating rituals of birds? How are human mating rituals fulfilled or subverted in a queer context?" I chose to costume all the dancers in dresses and black high heels regardless of gender to blur the lines between sexual desire and sexual objectification. I hope to encourage the audience to re-examine their preconceptions about sexualized movement and the boundary between sexuality and absurdity.
Thanks Laura!
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