As Women (2023), choreographed by Angelica Burgos for Inception by Conflux Dance Theater, is a theatrical, narrative piece, foucsing on the expected social roles of women throughout the past century. An opening tap segment, performed with an excess of machismo by a male-identifying dancer, is pushed aside for the remainder of 13 minute piece, as a group of women exerts its influence.
The challenge for me was to emphasize the state of exaltation and joy epitomized by the female dancers, basking in the righeousness of their own power and authority. It was simultaneously important to me to stay true to the music used in the piece, which draws on Cuban and Latin-American music from the early to mid-20th century. Thus, Cuban nightlife from the 1950s was central in my research, and its influences are visible in the final lighting of the piece.
