Motherhood and Movement Salon

Curated, Performed, and Produced by Jamie Gallo and hosted by Heidi Duckler Dance

How do our mothers, biological and spiritual, move through us and in us as we navigate our lives?

Especially for those socialized as women, the expectations of a mother-daughter relationship present a unique set of challenges. In the public sphere the body is a battleground - a site for violence, objectification, policing, control. In the private sphere one’s body remains vulnerable, a canvas for their mother’s insecurities, shortcomings, standards, and expectations. And yet, there is a beauty in moving through the world with a mother’s roadmap, a physical compass governing our every step, whether we choose to follow or diverge from the path. Jamie’s salon investigated this tender relationship and invited audiences to reflect on their own experiences of motherhood.

Crossing the Water from Mother to Child

Inspired by lullabies, missed calls, and swimming competitions, Crossing the Water from Mother to Child explores how a mother’s expectation for her child can get lost at sea. The piece explores the body and self-expression as a method to process dissonance in this tender relationship. How do we shepherd our children across this chasm - we leave messages in the liminal space. How do children remedy this gulf inside themselves - they reminisce, they experiment, they respond.

Choreographed and Performed by Jamie Gallo

Please leave a message for…

A voicemail is a message that is not fully transmuted, but recorded. Between a mother and child messages are often sent but remain unheard, or they become twisted. This interactive activity allowed audience members to listen to the messages others have left for mothers or mother figures in their lives. If desired, they are given the opportunity to leave a message for their mother, grandmother, or maternal figure and contribute to a collective conversation between mother and child.

Sound Artist: Annabelle Freedman