Sorrow Swag

Sorrow Swag is the first part of Ligia Lewis’ triptych that deals with affect and embodiment, as well as race and representation. Each part has been created using a colour that represents a mood. This first instalment, in blue, is defined entirely by the language of sadness. Lewis meticulously creates a hybrid body that is in constant flux. She has developed a choreographic practice outlined on the basis of Stanislavski’s acting techniques and aspects of Authentic Movement –  an improvisation technique developed in the 1950s – to attain an intense state of embodiment. Samuel Becketts Not I and Jean Anouilh’s Antigone serve as the backbone to this work. Towards the end, the body transforms into nothing more than a mouth and an unrelenting scream, a literal reference to Not I. Through this unstable figure, Lewis explores questions of race, authorship, gender, and grief.

• The Dominican-American choreographer Ligia Lewis previously presented the second part of this triptych, minor matter, at Kaaitheater as part of WoWmen18.