IDENTITY THROUGH MOTION: VELOCITY DANCE CENTER’S STRICTLY SEATTLE 2015

Pat Graney’s A Study for Girl Gods was choreographed as a sort of preamble to her upcoming work Girl Gods,which premieres in October at On the Boards. Staying true to her usual interplay with social commentary, her piece for Strictly Seattle engaged with images of femininity and the pressures of being confined to project a society-approved look. Parades of women with their hair loose, pencil skirts tight, and heels tall was almost as disconcerting as the false plastic smiles—as much a part of the choreography as their steps. Confined and cutesy duets provided a vast contrast to the unnerving backdrop: soloists writhing on the floor, full of rage, out of control and violent.