"Like a Unicorn in Captivity"

Abstract

In the process of creating Like A Unicorn in Captivity, I sought the answers to two primary research questions: "What happens when you realize that your idol isn't perfect?" and "What happens when you recognize her flaws in yourself?" The work began as a response to and an interpretation of the work of writer and aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh, incorporating multimedia, spoken word, and movement in an exploration of celebrity, hero-worship, identity, relationship, ambition, creativity and duty. As we investigated these notions, the cast and I embarked on a transdisciplinary choreographic process, one that combined movement-based and theoretical research across dance, theatre, design, music, history, literature, feminism, and women's studies. This paper offers an explanation of the inspirations behind the piece, how I arrived at the notion of transdiciplinary choreography, what the practice looked and felt like in progress, and a description of the piece that resulted from the process.