Undefeated
“Aliya Hunter doesn’t like her memories. In fact, she likes to fight them…in a wrestling ring. Watch her kick ass, take a dance break or two, and risk everything to remain undefeated.”
Undefeated is the performance component of my MFA Thesis at Sarah Lawrence College that I debuted in March 2023. It is a pro-wrestling match between a fictionalized version of myself, Aliya, and three memories of sexual violence, portrayed by actors. Audience members enter a wrestling ring and are informed by two energetic announcers that they are allowed to participate as loudly as they wish, while remaining respectful. Aliya, the wrestling star of the evening, enters and coolly takes care of her first two opponents: a seventh grade boy and a botched college hookup. But, something is increasingly off-kilter about these matches that Aliya cannot avoid. When a third, unwelcome, and unexpected memory enters who is seemingly impossible to beat, the pro-wrestling match subtly turns into an embodiment of sexual assault survivorship. Through heart-pounding action, cathartic dance breaks, and care, Aliya leads the audience through a journey of ass-kicking acceptance and a joyful celebration of all of who we are.
At its core, Undefeated is about how the body copes with and heals from sexual violence. The piece proves that even if you’ve been knocked down, you’re still standing, you’re still happy, and you’re still dancing. You’re undefeated.
Wake Up
“Watched over by a three story tall corpse god, Balan assembles their blade by taking the lives and weapons of their former friends. They may see their journey culminate in a kind of freedom, but only if the audience lets them.”
Written by Kenneth Keng, directed by Annaporva Green, and fight directed by me. Wake Up was produced through the Sarah Lawrence College New Works Festival in December 2022. This was also the first show I fight directed! I choreographed two mixed weapon fights lasting between 2-3 minutes each and also choreographed four deaths. Because of the combat-heavy scenes, I worked with the cast and creative team almost every day of rehearsal. I am very proud of the result and my first time fight directing!
Creature in Habit
Being a cool girl is all about the rules. It means you’ll never wear that outfit. You know, the one you were wearing when the bad thing happened? Being a cool girl means you never have to get hurt again…right?
I wrote and performed Creature in Habit at The Tank in June 2022 as a part of Crimson and Clover, a festival about gender and shame, produced and coordinated by Karen Loewy Movilla. By removing layer after layer of clothing, the performer counters their own sense of guilt around the gendered violence that has occurred throughout their life, accompanied by a voiceover listing out numbered rules of “how to be a cool girl.” Creature in Habit aims to disrupt internalized misogyny and blame by stripping off layers of clothing, armor, and shame.
