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Event
Catherine Gallant/DANCE Escape from the House of Mercy
Escape from the House of Mercy is a 21st-century women's view of our social support systems measuring both the ground gained and the distance yet to be traveled. The House of Mercy was one of a number of institutions at Inwood Hill Park in NYC. It was a home for abandoned and troubled women'', in fact, most inhabitants were brought there against their wills. A young woman could be locked up for years for an offense such as dancing in public or walking alone at night. Inhumane and demoralizing treatment were disguised as rehabilitation as the rights of the poor, especially women, were completely denied.
Choreography: Catherine Gallant in collaboration with dancers:
Anne Parichon-Buoncore,, Erica Lessner, Charlotte Hendrickson, Cecly Placenti, Kelli Chapman,
Megan Minturn, Halley Gerstel, Jessie King and Jasmine Oton
Costumes: Ivana Drazic Video Design: Erica Lessner
The entire work is 50 minutes and flows through an episodic acknowledgement of the women's lives that were forever changed and diminished by the workhouse. Unfolding in segments, it contains recorded soundscapes/music, spoken text (poetry and fragments of interviews and research citations), songs and props (rope, 50, tulle, tea cups, men's shirts). It is an abstract choreographic rendering of sensations and images evoking the ghosts of the these women who spent decades at unpaid labor unable to escape as whatever was left of their dignity and self respect had been eroded by the abandonment, grueling work, punishments, enforced silence, lack of education, and poor nutrition. Our background research led us to think more about our responsibility as a society to care for and protect the most vulnerable. We learned about workhouses, asylums for the mentally ill, hospitals and prisons in NYC, around the country and around the world. We read the chilling interviews collected by the Justice for the Magdalenes organization and went on to study the Irish Workhouse system through a residency at Portumna's Irish Workhouse Centre. We now invite audiences to wonder and reflect upon why these places from the past are important now and how history connects us to the present discussions regarding women's access to reproductive choice, history of incarceration, the poverty/wealth gap and those with mental illness. Our work shines a thought provoking light onto these stories.
Catherine Gallant/DANCE has been supported in part with funds from Creative Engagement- Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, Jody and John Arnhold, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Partnership for Parks/City Parks Foundation and Indie Spaces.
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LocationThe Performance Project @ University Settlement (View)
1623 Third Ave.
NEW YORK, NY 10128
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 12 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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Contact
Accessibility
ADA accesible
Remind Me
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