Jenna Riegel

Varvara, a solo work by Jenna Riegel, is inspired by the life and creative work of Russian Constructivist artist, Varvara Stepanova. Konstantin Rudnitsky wrote, "The human body was perceived as a machine: man had to learn to control that machine. It was the theatre's function to demonstrate the fine-tuning of the human 'mechanisms.'" Varvara comments on this Constructivist view of theatre's function by exploring the body's reaction to considering it as a mechanization versus allowing it to be its own chaotic mess of expression. The work weaves together the worlds of Stepanova and Riegel through an interplay of what is real and what is imagined. Funding from New England Dance Fund will be used to generate, manage, and edit visual assets, and documentation of the work.