Emory Dance Company: Guest Artist Lyrric Jackson

Emory Dance Company guest artist Lyrric Jackson is a choreographer and multidisciplinary visual artist. Her work extends across art media via collaborative projects and special events on a global scale. She is currently researching the visceral personal principles of freedom, renewal, and change. Her choreographic work is grounded in contemplative practices and structured improvisation through the contemporary modern dance lens, and inspired by in-depth anthropological and sociological explorations. 

"command[ME]N(o)t: An Effort to Understand & Surrender Everything" is a love letter to the lives lost and affected by sexual abuse, violence, and assault. After visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial and convening with the spirits of those that lost their lives, specifically the women and children, to sexual violence and genocide, I became focused on seeking answers to the human condition. Why do we? How could we? When will we stop? This work is a means of healing from the epiphanies that have arisen in acknowledgment of the universality of violence against women and children globally. The overall process of this work has been one of openness with the dance artists and attempting to be as honest, transparent, and vulnerable as I can possibly be through actionable memory recall. See a video preview of this work below.

Emory Dance Company performs November 17-19, 2022. For concert tickets call 404-727-5050 or visit https://tickets.arts.emory.edu/2223edcfall.

L. Jackson EDC Rehearsal 2022.mov from Emory Dance Program on Vimeo.

Emory Dance Company: Monocles and White Carnations

This is the first of five short blog posts describing the new work being created by choreographers for the Fall 2022 Emory Dance Company concert. Check back each week for a new post! And don't forget to purchase your concert tickets: 404-727-5050 or tickets.arts.emory.edu/

First up is Emory Dance instructor Mara Mandradjieff, who is diving into cultural history with her piece, "Monocles and White Carnations."

The interwar Weimer Republic of Germany, particularly during the 1920s, saw an increased visibility of queer identities and a vibrant gay and lesbian cultural scene. However, as Hitler took over in the 1930s, these individuals faced horrible persecution, arrests, or death in concentration camps. My contemporary ballet Monocles and White Carnations unearths this history through the lens of a Berlin lesbian cabaret, including queer songs and vocalists from the time period. As part of the choreographic process, the dancers have read and discussed contextualizing scholarship on the topic and have analyzed corresponding photos and paintings.   

Check out a clip from one of Mara's rehearsals!  

Mandradjieff EDC Rehearsal 2022 from Emory Dance Program on Vimeo.