A Wicked Silence
A Wicked Silence is the premiere performance of the downtown parks' inaugural Artist in Residence, Alexandra Joye Warren. Created in collaboration with her dance company, JOYEMOVEMENT, Alexandra has developed this choreographic work as the first iteration of a three-part series exploring the history and consequences of the Eugenics program in North Carolina. From 1919 to 1977, the state enacted a program of forced sterilization of patients of public-funded institutions that were judged to be 'mentally defective or feeble-minded' by authorities, which later evolved into impoverished populations. This dance performance project will bring these stories to light in context to new policies that are being proposed which greatly affect the life and liberty of the marginalized in the 21st century.
Drawing on historical research and personal narratives of those victimized by forced sterilization, A Wicked Silence utilizes site-specific choreography inspired by moving through and interacting with various park spaces and features to ground the telling of the story of this work. Presented as a 'choreoplay', A Wicked Silence will convey its narrative through a series of scenes in two acts that move locations throughout Center City and LeBauer Parks. Utilizing multiple art forms, including choreographed movement, spoken word, dramaturgy, music and song, immersive audience participation, and visual art/design, this multimodal piece brings together artists from across the community to tell a story as layered as the history on which it is based.
photos by Hannah Long
Performance Details
Join us on Friday, September 17, 2021 for the premiere performance of A Wicked Silence.
Seating begins at 6:30pm in Carolyn's Garden at LeBauer Park (see map below). The performance will begin at 7:00pm. Audiences should come prepared to move throughout Center City and LeBauer Parks during the performance. Limited seating will be available at each location throughout the performance for those in need.
Parking is available for free on the night of the performance in the Church Street Parking Garage, located at 215 N. Church St. Directly adjacent to LeBauer Park, visitors may exit via the elevators to the park, and Carolyn's Garden may be found following the pathway to the right of the garage exit. All park spaces are ADA compliant and accessible by wheelchair or stroller.
The performance is FREE to attend, but contributions made in honor of this work will go to directly support the artists who have dedicated themselves to this project since it first came to the parks in January 2021. If interested in supporting this work by making a contribution to the artists, please click HERE and Dedicate the Gift to "A Wicked Silence".
This premiere performance will kickoff National Dance Day GSO 2021, which will continue on Saturday, September 18th. Learn more about this community celebration here.
Add this performance to your calendars here:
Collaborators
The multi-modal nature of this work would not have been possible without the contributions of key collaborators throughout this project's development:
Alexandra Joye Warren, Artist in Residence and Founding Artistic Director of JOYEMOVEMENT Dance Company
Milanda McGinnis, Assistant Choreographer and JOYEMOVEMENT Company Member
Antoine Williams, Mixed-Media Artist and Design Contributor
Lavinia Jackson, Poet
Alyssa Noble, Dramaturg
Sandy Blocker, Musician
Elsewhere, Props/Costume and Design Consultation
Piedmont Blues Preservation Society, Music Consultation
Hannah Long, Promotion Photography and JOYEMOVEMENT Company Member
Jennifer Scheib of Happy Labs Photography, Performance Photography
Paul Byun & Andy Augustyn, Performance Video Production
Supporters
This Greensboro Downtown Parks, Inc. Artist in Residence project would not have been possible without the generous contributions of our supporting partners:
