We caught up with Alesandra Seutin, Artistic Director of Vocab Dance, ahead of their upcoming world premiere of Boy Breaking Glass at Riley Theatre.
International performer, choreographer and movement director Alesandra Seutin was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, grew up in Brussels and now lives between London and Brussels.
Alesandra founded Vocab Dance in 2007 and has progressively built an international reputation for creating powerful and thought-provoking work. Her creativity is triggered by issues that address and reflect social, political and economic circumstances and with movement, voice and music, she shares stories that spark conversations.
Vocab Dance’s latest work Boy Breaking Glass comes to Riley Theatre on Saturday 2 October.
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“Drawing from Senegalese and Southern African traditional and social dances as the basis movement vocabulary, I infused it within my contemporary language. To help bring my vision to life I am working with collaborators who are talented in their field, who each contribute to the richness of work.”
“After reading the poem ‘Boy Breaking Glass’ by Gwendolyn Brooks, I started reflecting on the ‘Boy’ and wondered why he was breaking glass? I assumed he may be doing so as a result of not being able to reach the ceiling placed above him. I deconstructed and analysed the poem in search of a deeper understanding.
Expanding my research, I read books by other authors such as Reni Eddo-Lodge, Claudia Rankine, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Tyson Amir, Ralph Ellison. My focus: inequality, the act of survival and self-love. Inspired by my reading I wanted to create a utopic space for brown bodies to self-actualise, but also shed light on challenges that those bodies face. My aim was to explore this conflict, but to also propose solutions.”
“Boy Breaking Glass is an ode to all the brown artists who may be in the shadows or forgotten and who have paved the way for so many including me. A memory to their existence and that they once shined and somehow did not get the opportunity to breakthrough and stay visible. And for the young dancers who like me need self-reflective models to inspire their journeys. In creating such work, I am assuming great responsibility, to which I bare proudly.”
