Interview: Hilly Bodin in SNOW WHITE by Company XIV

Company XIV will present an adult only world premiere of Snow White, conceived, directed and choreographed by Drama Desk Award nominee Austin McCormick. Snow White runs Off-Broadway from January 26 to March 12, 2016 in a limited 7-week engagement at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City. Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Hilly Bodin who plays the role of Snow White in the show.

Hilly Bodin majored in dance at Douglas Anderson high school in Jacksonville, Florida. She holds a dance BFA from SUNY Purchase, & showcased works by Jessica Lang, Nicolo Fonte, & Doug Varone. During college, Bodin danced with Ismael Ivo's, Biblioteca do Corpo in Vienna, Austria) and has studied with The Forsythe Company in Frankfurt, Germany. Under the direction of William Forsythe, she has performed excerpts from "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated," & "Quintett." This is her first season with Company XIV.

When were you first drawn to the art of dance?

When I was four, my foot broke through a glass window at the very bottom of the ballet barre as I was doing dégagés. Glass shattered everywhere. I remember exactly how my ballet teacher looked at me when she realized I was unimpaired. It was like I lifted a car or could gravitate. I kinda treated dance as a superpower since then. I'm also an only child. It's really not that hard to get a kid with a lot of time and imagination into an art like dance.

You have an impressive dance education. Were there particular mentors along the way?

During my last two years of college I went to Frankfurt, Germany to work with William Forsythe. I had already been fan-girling his work since I was 12, and aside from him being a world renowned choreographer, it was a big deal to have the chance to work with him, days before his company closed after its nearly 30 year run. He said it like it was, full of knowledge, and he made it clear of making me aware of all my capabilities, even one we both share aside from dance- photographic memory.

Favorite dance pieces?

There's too many to list. And they're all getting over watched. But lately I've been looking back at works that me and my colleagues choreographed while getting ready for the real world at Purchase College's Conservatory of Dance. The many of them who are still my greatest friends have continued choreographing here in the city. I'm depending on them, myself, and the future of this generations' artists to replenish what my favorite dance pieces are.

How is working with Company XIV a unique experience for you?

Heeled shoes. All day, every day. Unique, and experimental in many ways. It's also my first job just after graduated last May, and when I explain it to people, they comprehend it best when I describe it as working for the current day "Moulin Rouge." I love every second of it, and my apartment mates especially love the lifetime supply of glitter all over the house.

Tell us a little about cast/creative of Snow White.

I don't know how little descriptive I can be without revealing too much of the works treasurable elements. I do want to share how incredible it has been working with the XIV ensemble, many who I've performed and worked with this season in Cinderella and Nutcracker Rouge. In contrast to them, with Snow White, spoken text plays a huge element to the work, and I'm very excited that we are incorporating "off-stage/on-stage" theatricality. Keep an eye out for unexpected but incredible unknown capabilities from the ensemble that are going to reach light in Snow White.

What would you like metro audiences to know about the show?

If you're straight, come to the show. If you're gay, come to the show. If you're transgender, come to the show. If you enjoy art, come to the show. Snow White is one of the most predominantly known fairy tales in history the story alone in film and text has done its fair share. To witness the story as a live performance through baroque dance, burlesque, ballet, vaudeville, acrobatics, opera, and the lustful bodies that are capable of telling a story in all these ways? Yeah, like Cinderella, you'll never see a fairy tale the same way. In the best way possible.

For the future?

We as humans have a natural physical and mental response to human pleasure. Watching any of Austin McCormick's work is never without appeal to the human body. It is an interesting experience to have to remind yourself to follow the story when you've realized you been gawking at a performers ass, or bulge, or boobs for an entire section. But then, the change of music, lighting, and set start to evolve and you hear a combination of exquisite and successfully sung pieces of classical and modern day music while also studying the intricate design sown to perfection on these incredible bodies as if you're at a haute couture fashion show, while questioning how the hell can those performers move, let alone breath in that? But all this time, you're experiencing more than just visual entertainment. You're aroused and indulged in all senses. There is nothing more human than one's self in touch with their own pleasure. This is the kind of work that can satisfy you; a longing indulgence that you WON'T have to feel guilty about after. That seems rather promising.

Snow White runs from January 26th to March 12th in a limited 7-week engagement at the Minetta Lane Theatre located at 18 Minetta Lane between MacDougal Street and 6th Avenue in New York City. Previews begin January 26 for a February 3 opening. Performances are Tuesdays - Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 5pm. Tickets from $40 to $65 with premium and VIP seating from $75 to $105. Visit http://www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-745-3000. "$30 Under 30!" $30 rush tickets are available at the box office beginning two hours prior to curtain for patrons under the age of 30. Limit of one ticket per ID. Check website for latest updates and show times. The running time is approximately two hours including one intermission.

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Photo: Hilly Bodin as Snow White and Laura Careless as the Evil Queen

Photo Credit: Steven Trumon Gray