Anne Collod, Moving alter-natives
Performance
Performance view, Anne Collod: Moving Alternatives, Montpellier Danse Festival, 2019. Photo: Laurent Philippe/Divergence Images.
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Edlis Neeson Theater
220 E Chicago Ave
Chicago, Il, 60611
Feb 13 - 15, 2025
French choreographer Anne Collod presents Moving alter-natives, a bold re-examination of modern dance history, in the heart of Chicago. In this performance, the artist revisits the work of choreographers Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, questioning the cultural and colonial legacies that have shaped their art.
At the core of Moving alter-natives lies a meticulous revival of St. Denis and Shawn’s iconic solos and group pieces, performed by an international cast of six dancers: Sherwood Chen, Ghyslaine Gau, Nitsan Margaliot, Calixto Neto, Pol Pi, and Damini Gairola. Through reimaginings of pieces like St. Denis’s Incense (1906) and Lazy Nautch (1917), and Shawn’s Kinetic Molpai (1935), the performers illuminate both the aesthetic achievements and political controversies these dances embody. Viewed through Anne Collod’s critical lens, these reinterpretations, and in particular their interpretations of South Asian, East Asian and Native American traditions during the colonial era, invite reflection on the thin line between cultural appreciation and appropriation.
By restaging these pieces and reimagining them through the diverse experiences of her cast, Anne Collod creates a performance that examines how the gender roles and colonialist perspectives embedded in these foundational works have shaped modern dance and its cultural narratives. Moving alter-natives becomes a space for reckoning, balancing a celebration of the evolution of the art form with a confrontation of its entanglements with colonial histories.
Schedule :
- Feb 13, 2025 – 7:30 PM
- Feb 14, 2025 – 7:30 PM
- Feb 15, 2025 – 7:30 PM
About the artist
French contemporary dancer and choreographer Anne Collod is renowned for reinterpreting historical dance works and exploring collective utopias. Winner of the 2009 Bessie Award for parades & changes, replays, she combines performance, research and education to explore historical practices and cultural memory.
This performance is supported by Villa Albertine Chicago.