Concept and Choreography by Laura Halm 

Performatives, acts of performativity that comprise one aspect of performance, signify the identity one wishes others to acknowledge. Although the expression of performatives may be individual, they obtain meaning only insofar as they are seen, heard, or experienced by others and exist adjacent to and referencing the performances of others. This research is a journey of self-reflection as the choreographer examines her performatives living as a woman and a mother. She analyzes her indoctrinated ideals developed and reinforced through dominant heteronormative social and cultural narratives and the subsequent performatives she has performed and continues to perform insincerely. She dissects the historical underpinnings of these performatives and explores how she can transgress dominant narratives by adopting alternative ways of existing despite remaining tethered to a body that locates her in a specific time and place of privilege. 

Concept and Choreography by Laura Halm 

Performed by Laura Halm 

This brief reflection interrogates the monstrous feminine within me, as revealed through a former partner’s perspective of our relationship. Rather than vilifying this aspect of my identity, I come to terms with what others may consider a flaw: the unapologetic exercise of a woman’s power.

Concept and Choreography by Melissa Miller and Laura Halm 

Excerpt performed by Laura Halm 

DAPHNE is a dance-theater work that reinterprets the Greek myth of Daphne, unearthing within this ancient story themes of generative rage, agency, and transformation. In this reimagining, we envision Daphne not merely as a victim of male dominance and violence but as an active force of resistance who reclaims her autonomy through metamorphosis. Drawing inspiration from Claire Wahmanholm’s poetry, Renée Sintenis’s sculpture Daphne, and the utopian philosophy of the Shakers, the piece looks at how anger can become a catalyst—and how old patterns collide with the protest of youth.