SORCIÈRE to Preview at Arts On Site Ahead of BMCC Premiere
The work draws on Dr. Roberts' doctoral research and is commissioned by Selah Dance Collective.
Choreographer and scholar Dr. Roberts will present sorcière, an evening-length performance work that blends choreography, archival research, and feminist inquiry to examine the historical regulation of women's bodies, with two preview performances on September 26 at Arts on Site in New York City.
Developed from Dr. Roberts' doctoral research on early modern witchcraft prosecutions, sorcière investigates how legal and religious institutions constructed the figure of the "witch" as a means of policing and disciplining bodies that defied social norms. Through movement and performance, the work considers how histories of accusation, shame, punishment, and resistance continue to reverberate in contemporary life.
Rather than treating witchcraft as folklore or fantasy, sorcière explores the historical realities behind the persecution of women while asking how those legacies remain embedded in the present. The performance examines the ways these histories are remembered, embodied, and transformed through contemporary dance.
Commissioned by Selah Dance Collective, the project has received support from DLNY, Woman in Motion, and the CUNY Dance Initiative.
Audiences will have two opportunities to experience the work at Arts on Site on Saturday, September 26, with performances at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
These performances serve as an early presentation of the project ahead of the full-length world premiere, which is scheduled for March 2027 at BMCC.
