projects
Photo credits: Liam Kean, courtesy of The Click.
Edge of Aquarius, imagined by Alexandria Nunweiler for The Click, is both a “self-defining and self-defying work” as it tracks Nunweiler’s January 17th birthday, dangling on the edge of the Aquarius sign. This evening-length contemporary dance theater work features a multigenerational, multicultural cast that depicts a nonlinear coming of age story through the guise of a birthday party.
Experiencing time as a circle, the work acknowledges the loud and quiet acts of aging. Through collaborative processes with both the cast and identified members of the greater Boston community, the piece tells true true stories of growing up, growing old, and growing into oneself through depictions of traditional American party scenes. These include the awkwardness of a girl learning to use her first tampon, the surprising humor of a patient receiving his first colonoscopy, and more. There are unspoken struggles, too, as a married couple dances their experiences of trying to start a family, the simultaneous comfort and pressure one feels from a parent or a child, and the exploration of celebrating birthdays of loved ones who have passed. While balancing joy and anxiety, universal experiences are presented through specific and personal storytelling ultimately inviting the audience to feel, alongside the performers, the full weight of what it is to be human.
Performances:
Work in progress showing, May 2023 in Click | The Dance Complex, Cambridge, MA
Premiere: January 19-21, 2024 | The Foundry, Cambridge, MA
Edge of Aquarius is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the New England Dance Fund through the New England Foundation for the Arts, The Dance Complex's BLOOM Residency, Boston Moving Arts Productions and The Click.
This project is open for touring opportunities.
Experiencing time as a circle, the work acknowledges the loud and quiet acts of aging. Through collaborative processes with both the cast and identified members of the greater Boston community, the piece tells true true stories of growing up, growing old, and growing into oneself through depictions of traditional American party scenes. These include the awkwardness of a girl learning to use her first tampon, the surprising humor of a patient receiving his first colonoscopy, and more. There are unspoken struggles, too, as a married couple dances their experiences of trying to start a family, the simultaneous comfort and pressure one feels from a parent or a child, and the exploration of celebrating birthdays of loved ones who have passed. While balancing joy and anxiety, universal experiences are presented through specific and personal storytelling ultimately inviting the audience to feel, alongside the performers, the full weight of what it is to be human.
Performances:
Work in progress showing, May 2023 in Click | The Dance Complex, Cambridge, MA
Premiere: January 19-21, 2024 | The Foundry, Cambridge, MA
Edge of Aquarius is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the New England Dance Fund through the New England Foundation for the Arts, The Dance Complex's BLOOM Residency, Boston Moving Arts Productions and The Click.
This project is open for touring opportunities.
The inspiration for 'Why Not Here?' began at a residency at The Rensing Center in Borseda, Italy with collaborator Ashlea Sovetts. One perched at the top of the Ligurian mountains, Borseda is a village occupying the last stop of an ever-winding road. It’s aging population of 26 residents take pride in their close ties, sustainable land and farming practices, and traditional ways of life. The ambiance of stillness is only broken by birds chirping, a brief interruption of a newcomer by car, or rustling of bushes from small animals hoping to score a meal. The elusive history of the town lies in the early 1800s, rather young for this old province of Italy, tying it to the end of Napoleon’s rule and eventual exile. There is a protection of remembrance of war heroes who fought in the first and second World Wars displayed throughout the town. In addition, the cemetery is well kept with fresh flowers, and photos of those who lived and died here. A few short steps down from the cemetery and located by the entry point of Borseda is an empty bus stop, signaling a bygone era of commuting. With its back to an unused church and sight lines to a war memorial, the bus stop is looking out past the horizon waiting for the promise of vitality to be fulfilled. It is within this stillness that 'Why Not Here?' shows human experience as a constant ebb and flow of generational tides.
Supported by the New England Dance Fund through the New England Foundation for the Arts. Premiered in CURE8 Charleston, May 2023.
Supported by the New England Dance Fund through the New England Foundation for the Arts. Premiered in CURE8 Charleston, May 2023.
Photo credits: Olivia Moon Photography/@halfasianlens
Making it's debut at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in 2021 while earning a Philly Fringie, '10 Recalling-20' is a duet featuring Alexandria Nunweiler & Ashlea Sovetts based on interviews with ten individuals that dive into 2020 experiences. Ranging from ages 4 to 85, the interviewees represent many different backgrounds, identifications and occupations giving a crosshatch of the American experience in crisis.
While COVID-19 is an overarching theme, it is truly the stories from the individuals that center this work. For example, one of the interviewees, a female Mexican-American travel nurse who treated COVID patients in an underserved neighborhood, sheds light on the desensitizing trauma of being surrounded by death, and how grateful she is to be alive. Another interviewee, a black male police officer, describes his day to day as a constant attack on his character and how he is identified in society, his own culture, and through his occupation. A third example is the youngest interviewee, a four-year old white female living in a rural town. Her experiences show the effects of the pandemic on the youth through what she considered normal and her tough re-admittance to a school environment. Ultimately, 10 Recalling-20 not only tells these stories and seven others, it gives the audience the ability to connect with them and see themselves mirrored back.
Performances:
10 Recalling-20 is supported by the South Carolina Arts Commission, Alternate Roots, the Andrew W. Mellon foundation.
Photo credits: Olivia Moon Photography / @halfasianlens
While COVID-19 is an overarching theme, it is truly the stories from the individuals that center this work. For example, one of the interviewees, a female Mexican-American travel nurse who treated COVID patients in an underserved neighborhood, sheds light on the desensitizing trauma of being surrounded by death, and how grateful she is to be alive. Another interviewee, a black male police officer, describes his day to day as a constant attack on his character and how he is identified in society, his own culture, and through his occupation. A third example is the youngest interviewee, a four-year old white female living in a rural town. Her experiences show the effects of the pandemic on the youth through what she considered normal and her tough re-admittance to a school environment. Ultimately, 10 Recalling-20 not only tells these stories and seven others, it gives the audience the ability to connect with them and see themselves mirrored back.
Performances:
- Philadelphia Fringe Festival | Oct 2-3, 2021 at Fidget Space | Philadelphia, PA
- Equinox Dance Festival | October 8-9, 2021 at Commerce Park | Fountain Inn, SC
- BOOM Charlotte Fringe Festival | April 23, 2022 at Camp North End | Charlotte, NC
- CURE8 Cambridge | April 30 - May 1, 2022 at Complex@Canal | Cambridge, MA
10 Recalling-20 is supported by the South Carolina Arts Commission, Alternate Roots, the Andrew W. Mellon foundation.
Photo credits: Olivia Moon Photography / @halfasianlens
