Between a Rock
& a Hard Place

Choice. It’s the best part of being a real person. But if used incorrectly, it can also be the most dangerous. Between a Rock & a Hard Place investigates the illusion of choice, and how sometimes the idea of a decision can be more important than the outcome.

Premiere: February 11, 2022 at the WSU Allesee Dance Theatre
Runtime: ~9 minutes
Choreography: Joseph Mattar
Audio: Everything Evaporate by Felicia Atkinson
Projection: The Stanley Parabole by Davey Wreden
Performers: Meghan Allen, Eric Blovits, Molly Chieca, Taylor Craft, Evelyn Gaines, Kayla Gonzalez, Olivia Kimes, Mary Renko, & Adari Torres

Between a Rock & a Hard Place is the fourth and final installment of a four-part choreographic exploration of the Self. Three separate but connected solo works come together to form a group work. The piece investigates the concept of making decisions – both big and small – and how the decisions effect who we are, where we are, and how we move through the world. This exploration continues through deciphering the outcomes of each possible choice, and how sometimes the illusion of choice is more potent than the decision itself. Old relationships are tested, and new relationships are built as the audience begins to see their own desires and choices reflected back at them. With a cast of eight virtuosic performers and a changing landscape of scenes, this piece also serves as my senior capstone and part of my honors thesis at Wayne State University.