A Performance by Malia Burkhart

Late Nite Series, Pillsbury House Theater  ~ November 16, 2013

This performance was featured as part of the Late Nite Series at Pillsbury House Theater. For this series, curators e.g. bailey and Laurie Carlos bring some of the best interdisciplinary performers from New York and Minnesota together to explore the cross-currents of contemporary culture through music and sound, text and images, and movement and dance.

Performed for the Late Nite Series at Pillsbury House and Theater, 3501 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis.  Concepts in this piece were later developed in “Osteogenesis” in Aug-Oct 2014.  This 20-minute work-in-progress investigates my German heritage and traumas resulting from the witchhunts of the 16th-18th centuries.  I investigate my relationship to Christianity and Paganism, and how the persecution of “witches” persists in today’s suburban culture.  I look at how this shifted my people’s relationship to wildness and mystery, and how these patterns are expressed today through our fear, misunderstanding, and persecution of wolves.  This piece features live music by cellist Rachael Sarto, and pre-recorded original music by Malia Burkhart.  All masks and artwork in this piece are made by Malia Burkhart.  The last portion of the piece is a “moving story”; improvised movement and storytelling.