CORPS (2021)

CORPS explores how labor and gender are addressed under the lens of regimented movement. The work is a continuation of choreographer, performer, and educator Milka Djordjevich’s ongoing questioning of dance practices, preoccupied with producing neutrality and anonymity. CORPS aims to unravel and disorient the militaristic conditioning of groups “keeping together in time.” The work reveals similarities across traditional, combative, ritualistic, athletic, and folk movement forms. Over time, methodical systems of labor and cooperation rally into a procession of distorted collectivity. Moving with a steady urgency, the performers yo-yo between collapsing and rectifying, creating an ever-changing engine on a pathway to unruliness.

The dance is developed with an esteemed professional group of six dancers, Martita Abril, Dorothy Dubrule, Ayano Elson, Allie Hankins, Tiara Jackson and DaEun Jung, composer Celia Hollander and lighting designer Madeline Best. CORPS premiered November 2021 at REDCAT and is commissioned by New York Live Arts. The development of CORPS is made possible, in part, by the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC) at Florida State University, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, CalArts Dance, Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York Live Arts‘s Live Feed residency program and the Pillow Lab at Jacob’s Pillow.

Touring

REDCAT (premiere) November 11-13, 2021
New York Live Arts January 18-22, 2022
The Momentary May 2022