fallen

Dancers:	Leah Archambault
	Jillian Camarta
	Jesse Dell
	Beth Despres
	Andrya Duff
	Tina Fushell
	Kitty Neptune

Fallen is an evening of theatrical contemporary dance presented by Project Sugar. It is inspired by The Scandelles show Les Demimondes — a multidisciplinary presentation that examines how art and media culture have profited so handily off the shabby, beleaguered mystique of the sex worker while she herself remains marginalized.

Fallen uses the same motivation but works solely in the medium of contemporary dance. Throughout time women have made careers of prostitution, enduring a roller coaster of suppression, mockery and brutal physical treatment. The whore remains a constant in art of all forms and across all cultures and the media shows us we have always had a fascination with prostitutes and sex in general. However, there are many sides of prostitution and we see prostitution through the filter of religion and sexual conservatism, cautionary tales and those unwillingly trafficked. This is not to say these perspectives are not real, though there is information we (the general public) do not have about the history and representation of the whore. Fallen attempts to explore the many perspectives of the whore, including that of independence, strength and knowledge.

The show begins with a piece in tribute to the hetairae. The hetairae were the highest regarded of the many denominations of prostitutes in Ancient Greece, practicing traditions of the sacred whore. They were educated in art, science, history, literature, philosophy and the art of lovemaking. At a time of extreme sexism, when it was unthinkable and even illegal for any respectable women to be educated or to own anything including herself, they were thought to be the intellectual equals of men. The hetairae were highly educated and maintained their own wealth and independence. They were more self-sufficient and self-defined than many people would dream of being today. The hetairae and all classes of prostitutes in Ancient Greece had a profound influence on the art, literature, philosophy, society and government of their time. This piece represents their strength, independence and beauty and heralds the rest of the first half, which consists of a few smaller works, each inspired by a different perspective of the whore either through art or history.

The second half is one piece entitled ‘Hush Hush’ based on photos taken of New York call girls circa the 1950s, when scandal photography was truly beginning to make its mark, a trend that was duly noted in Fellini’s 1960 film La Dolce Vita from whence came the term paparazzi. These striking photos contain images of women hiding their faces, with handkerchiefs, gloves, hats and newspapers, some with their nude bodies on full display, others fully clothed in what could easily be perceived as middleclass garb. Forever, the whore is the fallen woman. We have tried to brand her with black stars, burnt skin, green sashes, red make-up and shaved heads. We have condemned her and made sin of sex. And yet she endures. The dancers enter the theater, in the dark silence you hear their heels as they walk down the stairs. Caught by the spotlights of the media, they begin to dance with movement of temptation and shame, attempting to cover their faces. They remove their jackets and take us on a journey through their struggle, the push and pull, the laughter and anger, the strength and sadness. The dancers stand up against the idea of the fallen women, in tribute to the sacred whore.