Fall For Dance serves as an exhibition of interdisciplinary talent; featuring Pan-African, street, contemporary and technology-based movement, this celebration of dance invites the audience to consider the relationship between the diverse range of performances. The choreographers behind this project include faculty members and guest artists Teena Marie Custer and Kevin A. Ormsby. In addition, two students have also been selected to showcase their works, providing a fantastic artistic opportunity for both themselves and their peers: Rebecca Carrillo investigates social-media, capitalism and self-esteem in digital-esque and Anna Valdman explores lyricism and movement in And I Can Breathe Again. Professor Erica “EG” Gionfriddo emphasizes the importance of this inclusion, stating that: “This is a huge peer mentorship in our program as the student choreographers and many of the dancers in their pieces are actively taking choreography courses at the same time, so they’re learning and growing, supporting each other in this process.” We spoke with these two talented student choreographers to find out more about their journey so far.
Behind the Scenes of the Sisterhood…
Dramaturg and current M.A. candidate Rebecca Fitton provides a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals for In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play –
Rebecca Fitton: Justine Gelfman’s sharp, witty and all too timely play, In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play, offers a nuanced critique of institution-branded female empowerment. The story leans first upon nostalgia–the surreal magic of American Girl–before plummeting into the complex dynamics of historical discrimination and erasure as related to race and gender, generational wealth, intersectional feminism and flawed representations of women in media. It is a doozy. The play implicates you, the audience, in its commentary. How are you complicit in age-old oppressive practices glossed over by a shade of millennial pink?
Quick, find your seats on the carousel… the ride is about to start!
Meet the Cast of IN SISTERS WE TRUST
Texas Theatre and Dance is delighted to introduce the cast of In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play, written by Justine Gelfman in collaboration with Susanna Wolk. This pointed, witty and darkly-humorous new play tells the story of the much-beloved American Girl Dolls who are all grown up and gathering for a televised Bachelor-style reunion to decide the fate of the company. Suddenly, the girls start disappearing; something glitches and we’re thrown into a glossy feminist co-working space on the brink of expansion. The progressive women at the helm are still perpetuating age-old oppressive practices, now just in a shade of millennial pink. In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play investigates how corporate feminism is repeating and rebranding mistakes of the past instead of finding new pathways to empowerment.
