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Projects and Choreographic Ideas of which ClancyWorks is Currently Involved...

Site-specific works and the metaphor of Doors and Walls

Over the past ten years Adrienne Clancy has been building work that is centered around walls as obstacles and spinning the perception of having one's back against a wall to seeing the beauty and possibilities of learning how to transform obstacles into opportunities by climbing walls and seeing beyond the fixed structure. Clancy's fascination with the metaphor or portals and doorways has created a series of distinct works that include the metaphor of doors as choices and decisions. Other ways that Clancy has deepened the theme of doors and portals was to use the imagery as a mode of understanding identity and by exploring the idea of passing and who gets to pass in different situations. Her series of wall works has been recognized with a Metro DC Dance Award (2002) and two choreographic fellowships (AHCMC in 2001 and MD State Arts Council 2001, 2003). Other possible ways that this work may be revisited and infused with information from the question here might be posed as: Who has passed through these doors, what did they bring? Who is passing through these doors now and what will they leave for future generations?

On the theme of Cultural Ghosts

Over the past year Adrienne Clancy and the members of the ClancyWorks Dance Company have been investigating the idea of cultural ghosts and creating work that centers around the question, who else is sitting in the room with the people that we see? This question is not to embark upon a query of the supernatural, but rather to realize the subtle yet powerful forces that are constantly entering into our relationships. This work investigates race, class, sex, and gender issues at work. It asks the question, how many layers of shields and armor does one have to peel through in order to get to the actual person? It takes into account that the actions and behaviors of each of us are somehow governed by our relationship with our parents, fore parents, cultural legacies as well as the burden of the cultural baggage that we all carry, no matter how light the weight.

On the theme of Transparency

Over the past few years Adrienne Clancy and members of the ClancyWorks Dance Company have been working with Plexiglas set structures that create a metaphor of transparency. This series of works seeks to unearth the structures that are unseen yet hold so much power in creating infrastructure and govern the interactions in our personal lives as well as in the workings of different communities. The metaphor becomes an allegory for people and relationships and seeks to understand the seemingly invisible structures and potent forces that bring people together or keep people apart.

On the theme of Mermaids and Mermen

Over the past 6 years Adrienne Clancy and members of the ClancyWorks Dance Company have been exploring the tales of mermaids. This metaphor is used in a multidimensional fashion and asks a series of questions regarding individual power structures such as:

• Who are the silenced mermaids in our community who have given up their voices?
• For what cause would a person give up or trade their voice?

As well as questions of perception that can lead to questions of identity:

• What do you see when you look at me Are you able to see my mermaid tail hidden beneath the dress I wear?
• If we could shed our skin/tails, what would be the things about ourselves that we would release, what are the skins/tails that we would want to hold onto? This piece has been revisited in a number of different ways that continues to hold infinite possibilities as it asks the questions of different individuals from different communities and different generations.

On the theme of Chaos Theory

Over the past three years Adrienne Clancy and members of the ClancyWorks Dance Company have been pondering the truth of the Butterfly Effect and have asked the question:

If chaos theory is correct and if the flap of a mosquitos wings in Japan could cause a tornado to occur in another part of the world, then what actions are being set into motion every time we blink an eye or take a step?

This work looks to see how we are all interconnected and how we our actions, no matter how seemingly small, could have a dramatic effect. It asks us to look at our actions and follow the line of consequences or benefits for the things we do that we take for granted.

On the theme of Spinning Webs

Clancy's current work, Spinning Webs, addresses the question: How do career-oriented women balance the responsibilities of motherhood with professional advancement? Inspired by the Native American emergence story of Spider Grandmother who spun the world into creation, Spinning Webs weaves the tales of contemporary initiators. The project parallels the process of balancing work and life to that of a spider who weaves its web only to find it must struggle not to fall through the holes created with the gossamer strings she weaves. ClancyWorks' members will conduct research throughout the year to capture the voices of women artists who have made vastly different choices in response to the urge to create something. The issues associated with takings steps toward rearing a child, birthing an organization, owning a home, paying rent, advancing one's career, or contributing to one's community could be relevant not only to the initial question of balancing families and careers, but also to the challenges of anyone who has the need to create.