Dance Theater Piece Daedalus’ Daughter Has its World Premiere at the Bootleg Theater

‘Daedalus’ Daughter’ has its premiere at the Bootleg Theater | Photo courtesy of the artist.

CalArts faculty and choreographer Rosanna Gamson of Rosanna Gamson/World Wide serves as the Creative Producer and Dramaturge of Daedalus’ Daughter, a new dance theater piece created by writer-director-performer Carol Katz. The production opens on Thursday (Sept. 21), at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles, and continues for six additional shows over the next two weeks.

Daedalus’ Daughter is a twist on the Greek myth of Icarus told from the point of view of Icarus’ sister, a character Katz created in order to tell the story of a family that unravels its long-kept secret history of mental illness and suicide. Icarus’ sister, who ultimately finds redemption and healing by speaking her truth, is an embodied metaphor for Katz’s own personal struggle with bipolar disorder. The synopsis on the production website notes that Daedalus’ Daughter is “told through movement and text, both poetic and prosaic, this piece is a surreal, dream like journey through myth and memory.”

Gamson and Katz began collaborating on Daedalus’ Daughter after meeting at an artists’ residency. As the show began to develop, the collaborative and creative processes grew to include the direction of a core creative team featuring four CalArts alumni: Associate Creative Producer Mallory Fabian (Dance BFA 16), Lighting Designer Darius Gangei (Theater BFA 15), Set Designer Tanya Orellana (Theater MFA 17) and Sound Designer Simon Greenberg (Dance BFA 17). Among members of the cast is dancer and CalArts alum Kearian Giertz (Dance BFA 16).

Rosanna Gamson/World Wide (RGWW) has performed numerous dance theater works in museums, theaters and alternative performance spaces in North America and Europe. In addition to teaching in The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts, Gamson, the company’s artistic director, is also the founder of Terra Nova, an annual choreographic residency for Los Angeles dance artists.