Photo: Bill Hebert
Photo: Bill Hebert

Illuminating Hidden Histories: Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Company

Patricia Graham

Dear Ann, 

I finally arrived from the Wilds back to civilization. What I do miss most of all….girls like you, wine, laughter and music. See you shortly, (maybe). Say hello to your family. As they say in Deutsch, auf Wiedersehen. 

Love, Bob  

This is an excerpt from a letter written by choreographer Anne-Marie Mulgrew’s father to her mother in 1944, now a part of her latest dance theater work The Keepers. His participation and the discovery of thirty letters he wrote from Europe is just one of the surprising results of a two-year line of inquiry into personal storytelling. The process began with Mulgrew’s 2012 work Dig and grew to include a monthly workshop Mulgrew held for the past year with seniors. She helped them to explore their memories- through movement, words and sound. Reflecting on the experience, she remarked, “I’ve never been a big story person. This is a departure for me. The workshops provided a platform, an opportunity for others to think about their lives, what kind of memories they keep and how important it is to share them.”  Fascinated by the living history each person embodied, she worked with her dancers to create the emotional atmosphere of their stories. The resulting evening-length piece, The Keepers, features a collaboration with video artist Carmella Vassar-Johnson.

Photo: Bill Hebert

Photo: Anne-Marie Mulgrew (still from video by Carmella Vassar-Johnson)

  Photo: Bill Hebert

Photo: Bill Hebert

Photo: Bill Hebert

Photo: Bill Hebert

Photo: Bill Hebert

Photo: Anne-Marie Mulgrew (still from video by Carmella Vassar-Johnson)

The Keepers, Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Company, Friday, May 31 at 7:30, Saturday, June 1 at 7:30, Sunday, June 2 at 3:00, Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American Street,  215-462-7720, www.annemariemulgrewdancersco.org, tickets:  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/363208

Share this article

pattyheadshot

Patricia Graham

Patricia Graham seeks the indelible center of cultural joy, following an eclectic path of interest in that pursuit; curiously seeking other travelers; seriously selecting threads. Her inquiries are presently couched in teaching dance appreciation and other circuitous endeavors. She is a former staff writer with thINKingDANCE.

PARTNER CONTENT

Keep Reading

  • Interviews

Teaching Embodied Activism

ankita

A conversation with Zaquia Salinas

Zaquia Salinas kneels on a yoga mat in a naturally-lit studio with wood walls and flooring. She embodies a grounded, punk energy, with a half-shaved head and an all-black outfit of a muscle shirt and capri-length workout pants. Her hands gesture out from her body as she speaks to a class of participants who are similarly seated on yoga mats with blocks surrounding them. The participants include one black-haired individual whose head is foregrounded in the image, one white-haired individual in t-shirt and shorts on the opposite side of the room, and a brown-haired person laying down on their stomach reading from their journal as Zaquia speaks.
Photo: WATS (You've Scene Enough Productions)
  • thINKpieces

Healing in My Heels: On the Choreography of Womanhood

Lauren Berlin

A dancer reflects on womanhood, a twenty-year-old memory, and the difference between being watched and being witnessed.

A group of dancers performing in a high-energy dance class under purple lighting. A blonde dancer in a black crop top and heels strikes a low pose in the center foreground, surrounded by smiling group members dancing in high-heeled boots and athletic wear.
Photo: Lauren Berlin