Atlanta dancer argues with Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’

“At the same time,” Novoa said, “I was living in metro Atlanta, seeing work and studying with Southern artists, and so I also identify as a Southerner.”

Novoa’s “Gyre” is on the program for the 2024 Modern Atlanta Dance Festival (MAD Fest), taking place Friday and Saturday, June 7-8 at the Performing Arts Studio at Emory University. Next, they will present a new full-length work, “In This House,” on June 14 and 15, at the Balzer Theater in downtown Herren.

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Novoa’s cultural memory and lived experience influenced their artistic development from an early age. They trained in classical ballet with teachers at Newnan and at the American Ballet Theater summer intensive.

In high school, Novoa took a break from dance concerts. During this break, they studied Jewish dance forms, or Davidic dance, in a synagogue, drawing on this vocabulary to create works for their peers.

“Davidic dance is related to (Jewish and Middle Eastern) social dances like the hora and the dabke,” Novoa said. “Many of the motifs and choreographic forms, even the repetition of elements, that recur in my work come from this source.”

Novoa sees the turn to traditional social dance as an enrichment, not a rejection, of the foundations in neoclassical and contemporary concert dance they acquired as a student and as a professional with Southern Arc Dance by Paulo Manso de Sousa, City Gate Dance Theater, Room at Move Dance and others.

For example, Novoa merged these multiple dance traditions in “Gyre,” which debuted at the Fall for Fall 2023 festival. Novoa said the piece was inspired by choreographer Mark Morris’ memories in his memoir “Out Loud.” of traveling across Europe, learning folk dances in small towns, and importing what he had learned into his choreography.

“Dance as a ritual, a community experience, is at the heart of many social dances, and I wanted to bring it into the context of a dance concert,” Novoa said.

As its name suggests, “Gyre” moves in a constant spiral. Dancers use their feet and bodies to create percussive rhythms, and alternate facing the audience and facing each other in a circle. The oscillation draws the audience’s gaze and awareness ever inward, into the empty center, suggesting that the void is a space created and held for observers who participate by looking.

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Credit: MADISON NUNES

For “In This House,” Novoa deliberately chose difficult and less familiar material as a source of inspiration: Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play “A Doll’s House.” Nonetheless, the connection Novoa found with Ibsen’s protagonist Nora Helmer – and Nora’s historical analogue, the Norwegian-Danish novelist Laura Kieler, friend and protégé of Ibsen and his wife – is deeply personal.

Novoa learned about the play through a copy of “The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived” that they picked up at a thrift store. The description of Nora in the book and of the play itself took Novoa into a deep dive to discover more about a work that is often touted as one of the first modern contributions to feminist literature.

Novoa learned that Ibsen, without Kieler’s consent, had appropriated certain details of his story for “A Doll’s House,” which led to an argument between the playwright and novelist.

“As a neurodivergent person, I felt drawn to creating a piece that focused on Laura’s story, the struggles she had with mental health, and how those affected her outcome” , said Novoa. In telling this story, Novoa saw a way to ground her work in her own lived experience while offering others the opportunity to situate themselves within it.

In “A Doll’s House” and in Kieler’s biography, the revelation of a clandestine financial transaction disrupts the apparent harmony of domestic life. However, as Novoa observed, the real problem in both marriages was not money problems but secrets. “Objectively, what Nora is hiding from her husband is not that bad,” Novoa said. “By keeping the secret, however, one thing leads to another, and it gets bigger and bigger – in life and in his mind – until the situation spirals out of his control.”

Novoa said they shared a similar experience in the lead-up to their marriage, a time before coming out as non-binary to their family and partner. This created an entry point to bring Kieler’s story and some of the themes and characters of “A Doll’s House” to life through dance. “I understand what it’s like to have something you want to share with someone you love but not know how to go about it,” Novoa said.

In the play, Nora leaves her husband. Kieler’s story was different. She suffered a nervous breakdown after her husband filed for divorce and tried to keep her from her children. She then spent several weeks in a psychiatric hospital. Although Kieler eventually reconciled with her husband, she and Ibsen remained estranged for the rest of her life.

Novoa’s revelation to her family and friends was fortunately followed by a much happier ending. After getting married, the couple lived in Atlanta until Novoa’s spouse graduated from Emory University. Together, they moved to the Pacific Northwest, living in Portland, Oregon, for several months and then Boise, Idaho, for three years before returning to Atlanta in 2022.

Since his return, Novoa has served as choreographer in residence at Atlanta Contemporary (co-sponsored by Dance Canvas), artist in residence with Meli Kaye and presented a piece “Perennial” as part of “Spectra: Vol. 1,” the emerging artist project launched last year by Monica Hogan Dance Works.

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Novoa’s work on “In This House” began with support from Art on the Beltline, and an earlier, shorter version debuted during the 2023 Beltline After Dark Festival. Novoa received funding from Arts and Entertainment Atlanta, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and South Arts for the full premiere. Using these resources, in addition to hiring six Atlanta-based dancers, Novoa was able to commission original music from composer Dan Carey Bailey, costumes designed by PhaeMonae, and video art projection design from Sean Dahlman.

Novoa said the sound, scenic and costume design of “In This House” was inspired by the aesthetic of Tim Burton’s films and cites Kyle Abraham and Crystal Pite as choreographic influences. During a rehearsal of “In This House,” ArtsATL observed elements of physical theater combined with rhythmic phrase work and a shared weight partnership through which the dancers moved together like an organic clock. The score was melancholy and orchestral, contributing to the cinematic effect created by Novoa’s blocking and playing. staging.

The premiere of “In This House” at the Balzer Theater returns Novoa to the stage where they first performed in Atlanta as a dancer and where they presented their first choreographed piece, “Manifest,” in 2018.

“It’s a fun time to come full circle,” Novoa said, “and having the resources to access a performance space like the Balzer for a full-length work is definitely a milestone in my career.”

DANCE OVERVIEW

Atlanta Modern Dance Festival 2024

“Gyre” by Meaghan Novoa is included in the program. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday June 7 and 8. Suggested donation: $25. Emory University Performing Arts Studio, 1804 N. Decatur Road NE, Atlanta. mhdanceworks.com

“In this house”

A first from Meaghan Novoa. 7:30 p.m. on June 14 and 15. Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St NW, Atlanta. donationbox.org

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Robin Wharton studied dance at the School of American Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. As an undergraduate at Tulane University in New Orleans, she was a member of the Newcomb Dance Company. In addition to a Bachelor of Arts in English from Tulane, Robin holds a law degree and a Ph.D. in English, both from the University of Georgia.

Credit: ArtsATL

Credit: ArtsATL

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