Kledia Spiro, I should have stuck to ballet, featuring Janelle Gilchrist Dance Troupe and original music by Lianna Hauoli, 2021, Boston Sculptors Gallery, Boston, MA.
Lighting design: Liam Corley, Photography: Paul T Sullivan
I SHOULD HAVE STUCK TO BALLET Part of Donna Dodson’s “Amazons Among Us” installation honoring strong women at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, Kledia Spiro and Janelle Gilchrist Dance Troupe present this in-person multimedia performance, which takes its inspiration from Xena, the Warrior Princess. - KAREN CAMPBELL
What does it mean to be a superhero? What does it mean to be a superhero, in today’s world, in 2021?
“Where are all the girl superhero stuff?” That’s a question that Christopher Bell brought to his TED talk in 2016. That question stays with me every day. It made its way to my performance Tight. in 2019 and now it has permeated my work for Amazons Among Us. Can women be their own superhero? Can we unchain from society’s expectations and pave our path? I believe we can and I believe we always have. Even though we have been conditioned to “smile” and apologize incessantly and unwarrantedly, there is a strength that women possess that is unlike any superhero we have witnessed in the movies. Our bodies, our intuition, our heightened sense of awareness is a superpower.
We are expected to do it all, and that’s because we can, but at what cost? How do we hold on to our superpowers, without losing ourselves? My answer is through my artwork, my performances, my everyday actions, and the conversations that I engage with. What is your answer?
Can women really be superheroes?
Hint: They already are. And, they always have been.