Dancer Sidney Valdez in Mandy Milligan’s “Queen’s Head,” inspired by John Singer Sargent’s painting “Lady Macbeth”
When Mariah Eastman started a new company in 2023, she chose a relatable and particularly vulnerable subject matter for her inaugural piece: rejection. Darvin Dances’ first show features “Inclined to Decline,” in which Eastman uses rejection letters as fodder for inspiration and resilience. Pieces of paper hang askew from walls and litter the floor, to be navigated through, scooped up, clutched and thrown.
“I’m not really into props,” muses Eastman. The letters are about as far as she goes with objects on stage. Darvin Dances’ rehearsal director Mandy Milligan leans the other direction, incorporating elaborate costumes, live music, props and projection into her own pieces. Audiences will have an opportunity to see Eastman and Milligan’s contrasting—and they believe complementary—approaches June 20 and 21 at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble. The performance, entitled “A Gallery of Dances,” comprises short pieces and excerpts from Eastman dating back to her early work as a freelance choreographer, along with new short pieces commissioned from Milligan.
Eastman says the program will illustrate her progression as a choreographer. “For instance, I was obsessed with this hand gesture [she points all her fingers upward with palm cupped, twisting at the wrist] for a while, from [famed choreographer Jose] Limon primarily.”
A collection of dances from Milligan, including the new works “X,” “Queen’s Head” and “Ruckus,” are inspired by John Singer Sargent paintings. Milligan frequently turns to paintings and sculptures for inspiration and says she has a particular fascination with Singer Sargent, “especially his paintings of women. This male gaze lens, but also you don’t know anything about these women. I want to create a story about them and these magnetic paintings.”
The performance will also include a dance film from Milligan, an excerpt from an evening-length work in progress entitled “I Remember Damage.”
Milligan envisions these pieces eventually being joined into a longer work to be included in the repertoire for her own company, which launches later this year. She says the Mandy Milligan Movement Project evolved organically, in part through support and opportunities provided by other dance makers and small companies. “I think a lot of small dance start-ups are like that,” she says. “We’re all making work on each other and dancing in each other’s pieces. In light of recent events, people have had to get really scrappy and help each other out. I think that’s beautiful. I hate the circumstances that have brought us to this point, but it’s a lovely cultivation.”
Darvin Dances “A Gallery of Dances” at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, 1650 West Foster. June 20 & 21 at 8pm. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased at tickettailor.com.
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