Allison Dyke (B.F.A '17) + The Pink Electric will present "Trespassing," a split evening of dance with AnA Collaborations at The Tank in New York City July 30 and 31.
Allison Dyke '17 graduated from Elon with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance performance and choreography and a bachelor's degree in psychology. After graduation, she moved to New York City to work as a professional artist. The self-described "maker and mover" is using some of the tools she gained from Elon to produce original work in Manhattan.
As a student, Dyke's choreography was selected to be presented at the Fall Dance Concert alongside choreography by faculty and guest artists. This was an excellent opportunity for her to collaborate with a lighting designer, stage manager and crew members while learning the various aspects of dance concert production. During her senior year, she and her classmates collaborated on an evening-length work "Inferno," which premiered on May 5, 2017. The senior dance majors were responsible for every aspect of the production during their Senior Seminar course taught by Associate Professor of Dance Jen Guy Metcalf.
Dyke is currently collaborating on another production, but this time as a professional artist. "Trespassing," is a split evening of dance with Allison Dyke + The Pink Electric and AnA Collaborations. The performance is July 30 and 31, at 7 p.m., at The Tank on West 36th Street.
Dyke created the piece "Hot Blood," which is a 21-minute contemporary dance piece for four female-identifying dancers and is "the result of a year long historical and physical research process.” Dyke started a GoFundMe campaign to help fund the project.
One of the performers, Abby Corrigan '18, is also an Elon alumna. Corrigan graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance performance and choreography and a bachelor's degree in arts administration.
"Abby Corrigan is one of my favorite dancers to work with," Dyke said. "She was in much of my work at Elon, so I knew I wanted to keep working with her professionally. I think it’s important to work with dancers who can be honest with you about what they’re experiencing inside a process. I make my work for my dancers as much as I make it for the audience, so I really need dancers who feel comfortable giving me feedback. Abby has always been that way with me.”
Dyke is most excited about sharing this side of her artistry with her friends and co-workers. She is also very excited to get to share the stage with AnA Collaborations.
"There’s been a lot of amazing discoveries in this process, but I think one of the most amazing ones has been discovering how supportive my network is," she said. "It’s a good reminder that even though being an artist in New York can feel very isolating, other people really do have your back, and they want you to succeed.”
Dyke's website describes "Hot Blood" as "a synthesis of old and new. A merging of the past and the present. The unchanging and the unyielding. Witches are embedded in the mythologies of cultures all around the world. In some communities, they are healers. More often they are believed to be the tool of evil. In almost all cases they are women, filled with supernatural power, often gained from some sexual exchange with the devil. Masters of disguise, their human form can manifest as an old hag and young beautiful maiden, a lonely isolated woman, or a seductress. Their abilities range from flight, to spreading disease, to rendering men impotent. They are hunted, tortured, murdered by their communities.
"For many women, the histories of the hunters and the hunted feel very distant. But the stain of those collective beliefs permeate the fabric of our present day culture. Hot Blood is physical reckoning with the history of violence against women, our present day oppression, and a reclamation of power. It is a 21st century feminine scream for the ages."
Credits—
Choreography: Allison Dyke (B.F.A. '17)
Original score: Nicholas Black
Vocals: Rebecca Robertson
Dancers: Abigail Corrigan (B.F.A. '18), Valerie Braaten, Mariana Orozco Arango, Zoe Kaplan
Tickets: https://www.thetanknyc.org/calendar/trespassing-july-30 Gofundme: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-pink-electric-presents-hot-blood