Atlanta dancemaker wrangles with Ibsen’s ‘Doll’s House’

“At the same time,” said Novoa, “I was very much situated within the Atlanta metro, seeing the work of and studying with Southern artists, and so I also identify as a Southerner.”

Novoa’s “Gyre” is on the program of the 2024 Modern Atlanta Dance Festival (MAD Fest), which will run Friday and Saturday, June 7-8, at Emory University’s Performing Arts Studio. Then they will premiere a new full-length work, ”In This House,” on June 14-15, at the Balzer Theater at Herren’s downtown.

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Novoa’s cultural memory and lived experience influenced their artistic development from an early age. They trained in classical ballet with teachers in Newnan and at the American Ballet Theatre summer intensive.

In high school, Novoa took a break from concert dance. During the hiatus, they studied Jewish dance forms, or Davidic dance, at a synagogue, drawing on that vocabulary to create work for their peers.

“Davidic dance is related to [Jewish and Middle Eastern] social dances like the hora and the dabke,” said Novoa. “Many of the motifs and choreographic forms, even the repetition of elements, that recur in my work come from that source.”

Novoa views the turn toward traditional social dance as an enrichment, not a rejection, of the foundation in neoclassical and contemporary concert dance they acquired as a student and as a professional performing with Paulo Manso de Sousa’s Southern Arc Dance, City Gate Dance Theater, Room to Move Dance and others.

For example, Novoa fused these multiple dance traditions in “Gyre,” which debuted at the 2023 Fall for Fall Festival. Novoa said the piece was inspired by choreographer Mark Morris’ recollection in his memoir “Out Loud” of backpacking through Europe, learning folk dances in small towns and importing what he learned into his choreography.

“Dance as a ritual, a communal experience, is at the heart of so many of these social dances, and I wanted to bring that into a concert dance setting,” said Novoa.

As its name suggests, “Gyre” moves in a constant spiral. The dancers use their feet and bodies to create percussive rhythms, and they alternate between facing the audience and facing one another in a circle. The oscillation draws the audience’s gaze and awareness ever inward, into the empty center, suggesting that emptiness is a space created and being held for the observers who participate by watching.

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Credit: MADISON NUNES

For “In This House,” Novoa deliberately chose challenging and less familiar material as inspiration: Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play “A Doll’s House.” Nonetheless, the connection Novoa found with Ibsen’s protagonist Nora Helmer — and Nora’s historical analogue, Norwegian-Danish novelist Laura Kieler, a friend and protégé of Ibsen and his wife — is a deeply personal one.

Novoa learned about the play from a copy of “The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived” that they picked up at a thrift store. The book’s description of Nora and the play itself sent Novoa on a deep dive to discover more about a work that is often touted as among the first modern contributions to feminist literature.

Novoa learned that Ibsen, without Kieler’s consent, appropriated some of the details of her story for “A Doll’s House,” leading to a falling-out between playwright and novelist.

“As a neurodivergent person, I felt drawn to create a piece that centered Laura’s story, the issues she had with mental health and how those affected the outcome for her,” said Novoa. By telling that story, Novoa saw a way to ground the work in their own lived experience and at the same time provide opportunities for others to locate themselves within it.

In “A Doll’s House” and in Kieler’s biography, the revelation of a clandestine financial transaction disrupts the seeming harmony of domestic life. As Novoa observed, however, the real problem in both marriages was not money trouble but secrets. “Objectively, what Nora hides from her husband isn’t that big of a deal,” Novoa said. “In keeping the secret, though, one thing leads to another, and it gets bigger and bigger — in life and in her mind — until the situation spirals out of her control.”

Novoa said they shared a similar experience in the period leading up to their wedding, a time before coming out as nonbinary to their family and partner. That created a point of entry to bring Kieler’s story and some of the themes and characters from “A Doll’s House” to life through dance. “I understand what it’s like having something you want to share with someone you love but not knowing how to go about it,” Novoa said.

In the play, Nora leaves her husband. Kieler’s story was different. She had a nervous breakdown after her husband demanded a divorce and tried to keep her from her children. She then spent several weeks in a mental hospital. While Kieler eventually reconciled with her spouse, she and Ibsen remained estranged for the rest of her life.

Novoa’s revelation to family and friends was fortunately followed by a much happier ending. After getting married, the couple lived in Atlanta until Novoa’s spouse graduated from Emory University. Together they moved to the Pacific Northwest, living in Portland, Oregon, for several months, and then Boise, Idaho, for three years before returning to Atlanta in 2022.

Since returning, Novoa has been a choreographer in residence at Atlanta Contemporary (co-sponsored by Dance Canvas), a Meli Kaye Artist in Residency and presented a piece, “Perennial,” as part of ”Spectra: Vol. 1,” the emerging artist project launched last year by Monica Hogan Dance Works.

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Credit: MADISON NUNES

Novoa’s work on “In This House” began with support from Art on the Beltline, and an earlier, shorter version debuted during the 2023 Beltline After Dark Festival. Novoa received funding from Arts and Entertainment Atlanta, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and South Arts for the full-length premiere. With those resources, in addition to engaging six Atlanta-based dancers, Novoa was able to commission an original score from composer Dan Carey Bailey, costumes designed by PhaeMonae and video art projection design from Sean Dahlman.

Novoa said the sound, stage and costume design for “In This House” were inspired by the aesthetics of Tim Burton’s films and cites Kyle Abraham and Crystal Pite as choreographic influences. During a rehearsal of “In This House,” ArtsATL observed elements of physical theater combined with rhythmic phrase work and shared-weight partnering through which the dancers moved together like organic clockwork. The score was melancholy and orchestral, contributing to the cinematic effect created by Novoa’s blocking and mise en scène.

Premiering “In This House” at the Balzer Theater returns Novoa to the stage where they first performed in Atlanta as a dancer and to where they presented an early choreographed piece, “Ima,” in 2018.

“This is a fun full-circle moment for me,” Novoa said, “and having the resources to access a performance space like the Balzer for a full-length work is definitely an important milestone in my career.”

DANCE PREVIEW

2024 Modern Atlanta Dance Festival

Meaghan Novoa’s “Gyre” is included in the program. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 7 and June 8. Suggested donation: $25. Emory University’s Performing Arts Studio, 1804 N. Decatur Road NE, Atlanta. mhdanceworks.com

”In This House”

A premiere by Meaghan Novoa. 7:30 p.m. June 14-15. Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St NW, Atlanta. donorbox.org

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Robin Wharton studied dance at the School of American Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. As an undergraduate at Tulane University in New Orleans, she was a member of the Newcomb Dance Company. In addition to a bachelor of arts in English from Tulane, Robin holds a law degree and a Ph.D. in English, both from the University of Georgia.

Credit: ArtsATL

Credit: ArtsATL

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