College sophomores Kyla Van Gelder, Isabel Levey-Swain, Lola Gatti and College first-year Sophia Attebery perform in College senior Alana Reibstein’s senior dance recital piece, “Thanks for Coming,” in Warner Main Space Friday and Saturday. The piece focused on how women struggle to find their voices within a patriarchal society. A male voice directed the performance by commanding the eight women dancers to perform absurd actions, a commentary on the unreasonable societal expectations placed on women. Video projections and sound contributed to the multimedia piece’s theme, the result of a collaboration with College senior and Cinema Studies major Katalina Cabrera. For instance, a live video feed played back parts of the performance the audience had just viewed, emphasizing the presence of the male gaze and the audience’s complicity in such a perspective.

College senior Caitrin Hughes performed her senior piece in a double bill with Reibstein. Hughes, a Religion and Dance double major, incorporated her interest in how women are portrayed in Renaissance art into her performance. Her piece, titled “I Belong to my Beloved” opened with women standing in profile, a pose that Renaissance brides-to-be struck in portraits painted for their intended partners. It was thought that women facing forward were intimidating, so most women kept their eyes cast downward when walking outside. As the piece continued, Hughes performed as Eve, whom she portrayed as a seductress — one of the main subjects of her Religion capstone.