Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, a company dedicated to innovative, multidisciplinary storytelling rooted in the traditions of Tanztheatre and the collaborative process of devising, presents the premiere of a new work by its artistic director, Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago alum Sara Maslanka ’13, a graduate of the Dance Center’s BA Program in Dance. Titled I Bet You Think This Dance Is About You, the piece is directed and devised by Maslanka with the ensemble. It depicts the inside of one’s mind and the voices – the good, the bad, and the ugly – stuck within. The work asks to understand how our individual perceptions drive and shape our realities. The work is the latest incarnation of what began as a solo performance by Maslanka in April 2017 based on poetry from Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur.
Sara Maslanka
In an interview with Chicago magazine, Maslanka acknowledged that the work was inspired in part by her own experience with an ex-boyfriend who was stalking her. “I wanted to create a piece that wasn’t necessarily about sexual assault, but about an individual trying to overcome the voices in their mind,” she says in the interview. “It’s my opportunity to finally be courageous enough to come forward — to do something in a way I feel most comfortable, unapologetically.” To read the full interview, click here.
I Bet You Think This Dance Is About You plays May 3 through 18 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM at 1650 W. Foster, in Chicago’s Edgewater/Andersonville Theatre District. For tickets, click here. Use the code “industry19,” for $8 tickets.
Here’s a promotional video about the performance:
