Photo Courtesy of Cristina Conde
By Teagan Durkin || Staff Writer
Breath, movement, music, cold, and life. The Maiden, the Mother, an interlude of Aphrodite, and the Crone. Cristina Conde ‘23, Ellie Borghi ‘24, Emily Brossman ‘25, and Gavi Fischer ‘25. All these people, mythical figures, and concepts came together in Cristina Conde’s independent project The Awakening, performed on March 3rd and 4th in and around the Winter Visual Arts Center.
The culmination of several months of painstaking labor and collaboration, Conde’s program book illuminates that The Awakening was sparked by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and a need to reflect on the constant fight surrounding bodily autonomy. Several historical feminist figures and symbols inspired a further investigation into the different embodiments of Woman and the Divine Feminine. This investigation found its place in the dance, in the four interconnected pieces performed: the Maiden, the Mother, Aphrodite Interlude, and the Crone.
A particularly poignant point in the performance was during the Crone. The dancers fanned out across the floor of the Winter Visual Arts Center, and a single, unidentifiable shadow was cast on the backdrop. This shadow’s anonymity, especially contextualized within The Awakening’s overarching focus, highlights the fact that the ripple impact of Roe v. Wade’s dissolution impacts every body and everyone.
A round of applause for those who worked around the performance to ensure the brilliance of the dancers shone brightly: Alison Waller ‘24 for poetry, Jennifer Conley for advising, and Melissa Edwards for lighting design and stage managing.
Freshman Teagan Durkin is a Staff Writer. Her email is tdurkin@fandm.edu.