Wild Alone, Together
Wild Alone is the literal translation of the Bulgarian Samodiva, a folkloric mythical creature. She is a mischievous, life-sucking temptress, protective of her woodland home. We are all alone in our collective struggle to be together.
Wild Alone, Together, is a fourteen-minute contemporary dance work, presented live to an audience encompassed by technicians, dancers, and professors directly involved in the process. The work featured dancers Brooklyn Allen, Cindy Ansah, Emily Ireland, and Lan Tran. The arc of the piece was highly motivated by their passion, individuality, and dedication to the collaborative process.
The research question that inspired the thematic development was: how can codependency reside within and affect the dancing body? The initial findings that emerged from literary research were heavily skewed by negative connotations, stifling my ability to transpose the work onto other bodies. I decided to approach the theme by separating the word codependency into its literal constituents co- and dependency. I welcomed the thoughts of my cast when asking the question: What are we dependent on as dancers? The answers that emerged from the collective were the choreographic tools utilized in generating movement and structuring the work - dependency on the self, breath, gaze, music, and one another.
Walking through my home, I noticed from the corner of my gaze a painting leaning against the dresser, waiting to be hung on the wall. The painting depicted a woman with untamed hair, dressed in a loose white cloth, walking barefoot along the ripples of a stream, accompanied by a white stallion. Inching closer to admire the artwork, I was transported to a childhood memory.
The visceral sensation of being back in Pobit Kamuk, a small village in Bulgaria, snuggling near my grandma and eagerly awaiting a mischievous bedtime story, replayed in my imagination. This particular story included folkloric mythical creatures called Samodivi - spirits of wicked women stuck between heaven and hell. The name is comprised of two separate words, ‘samo’ and ‘diva’. “The former means ‘alone’, whilst the latter means ‘wild’, hence the literal translation - wild alone.” The Samodivi are depicted as extremely beautiful women, but appearances can be deceiving. Beneath their captivating appeal lies a capricious temperament that seduces and compels trespassers. Once enamored, the admirer chases relentlessly, unable to think of anything else, slowly drained from all his life’s energy. Transfixed by this memory, I found an immediate parallel to the theme of codependency I had been considering for in my choreographic research.
This process affirmed the importance of community, collaboration, and conversation. Being able to meet in person twice a week for four months enabled a consistency for connection, a consistency which has become rare in this Covid-19 driven world. Rather than approaching this process with the intention of creating a finished product, the weekly rehearsals themselves were the true input and output value. Rehearsals were a place of open communication, understanding, and care. Dancers were present, invested in movement generation tasks, and eager to contribute their ideas. After all, what remained beyond the curtain call is the feelings we invoked in one another during the process. Considering the next avenue of development for this work, I would be interested in adapting the work for a short film surrounded by nature. As humans, we are all dependent on our surroundings, we often take for granted accessibility to fresh air, clean water, and the richness of plants. We are all guest on this land, rather than segregating, let us connect and celebrate the beauty of our nature.
Works Cited:
Mingren Wu. “Samodiva: The Life-Sucking Temptress and Wood Nymph of Bulgarian Folklore.” Ancient Origins. 8 Dec 2018. https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/samodiva-bulgarian-folklore-0011124
Angelova, Maria. “Horo: The History Behind Bulgaria's National Dance.” Culture Trip. The Culture Trip. 20 July 2018. theculturetrip.com/europe/bulgaria/articles/horo-the-history-behind-bulgarias-national-dance/.
Lockwood, Deborah. "The Codependent Field." Journal of Heart Centered Therapies, vol. 21, no. 1, 2018, p. 91+. Gale OneFile: Health and Medicine, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A539922313/HRCA?u=ucalgary&sid=HRCA&xid=d633958a.
