Mixing Puppetry with Ethnography at the Ananya Dance Theatre
Abstract
On Tuesday, July 17, I boarded a planedestined for Trinidad and Tobagowith a carry-on bag full of “hungryghosts.” I am the puppeteer for Ananya Dance Theatre (ADT), a contemporary dance company created by Ananya Chatterjea with the aim of discussing sustainable solutions to the social and economic crises that impact communities of color. Placing the hungry ghosts beneath the seat in front of me only seems to deepen my uneasiness about the task before me: I must animate these five creatures, whose outstretched tongues, spooked mouths, and protruding bellies are representations of an insatiable hunger and thirst described in Tibetan mythology. Most pressingly, I am the sole manipulator of these figures for the world premiere of ADT’s work Moreechika: Season of Mirage. Since its founding in 2004 in Minneapolis,Minnesota, the Ananya Dance Theatrehas presented an annual piece that examinesthe everyday experiences of historically disadvantaged people, with a particular focus on the environmental challenges women of color face across the globe. Journeying to the Caribbean marks an unprecedented opportunity because ADT will debut Moreechika at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Trinidad on July 27.