The Dances: "Darkness, She Speaks"

Darkness, She Speaks

Choreographer: Jessica O. Manuel
Dancers: Nerissa Castilleja, Nena Sivess, Kendra Staton, Jerri Sweeney
Music: Osvaldo Golijov: Opera Ainadamar
Edited by: Glen Nagy
Scenic and Light Design: Calder Johnson and Henry Echeverria

Costume Design: Henry Echeverria

The dance is set to a fusion of two pieces from Osvaldo Golijov’s opera, Aindadamar. The dance takes the viewer through the process of grief and loss. It opens with a surge of intensity as fear and anger are expressed upon the moment of facing death and impermanence. At one point there is an exhaustion of this energy and these emotions. At this break and transition, grief and sadness are uncovered. Raw gesture and rhythmic movement portray the journey through death. “It’s really powerful—the women dance it with full out commitment--very, very strong. It’s gripping and stunningly evocative.”