Interview with Stefanie Batten Bland, the Chrysalis Project's Contributor
https://www.youtube.com/embed/sUWPR8-Ukf0
CHRYSALIS is a series of six videos, spanning six countries, that explores the idea that a particular kind of metamorphosis, transformation, and hope is only possible in a place of darkness. Each video is a fusion of the media of classical music, dance, and film, featuring original choreography set to new compositions recorded by the Oxford Alternative Orchestra (OAO). Under the artistic direction of conductor Hannah Schneider, the project comprises award-winning choreographers in Burkina Faso, the U.S., Russia, New Zealand, Korea, and the UK. Through the medium of film, each choreographer explores different interpretations of hope that have been illuminated, and even enhanced, by the darkness of the global pandemic we are all still experiencing. CHRYSALIS: Americas takes an allegorical approach to the theme of ‘chrysalis’, drawing on Aztec rituals of birth and death to explore the idea of emergence from a dark place into something grander and more complete.
Jerome Robbins awardee Stefanie Batten Bland is an interdisciplinary global artist who interrogates contemporary and historical culture in dance-theatre and film. Based in New York City, she founded Company SBB in France in 2008 and is a 2020 Baryshnikov Arts Center and Duke Performances commissioned artist. During the pandemic, she has worked on the EU Day for the European Union at the United Nations, socially distanced films for Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, and Works & Process at the Guggenheim. Her recent live credits include being a featured artist at the FIAF Crossing The Line Festival, working on the Directorial Team for “Life & Trust” by Emursive Productions, and choreographing for American Ballet Theatre’s inaugural Women's Movement Initiative. Sheis an assistant professor at Montclair State University for Theatre & Dance, received her MFA in interdisciplinary arts from Goddard College and lives in SoHo with her family, where she grew up as the daughter of artists.
You can read more about the CHRYSALIS project by visiting their website.
