Light and Desire is a dance work that looks at how women artists cope under unjust and manipulative power structures.The piece calls upon family history, social politics, and personal experience to tell and uplift the narratives of women who have resisted oppression by creating their own forms of radical expression. Originally scheduled to premiere in March of 2020 and delayed by the pandemic, Light and Desire reemerges with the new relevance and urgency in the new reality shaped by Covid where women’s lives were hit particularly hard by the emotional stress of juggling families and professional lives, diminished presence in the workforce, and other issues disproportionately affecting female-identifying people of the world’s population.    

Conceived and directed by Colleen Thomas, who also performs in it, Light and Desire features Carla Forte (Venezuela); a dancer-choreographer Ildiko Toth (Hungary / Germany); dance curator, dramaturg, and choreographer Joanna LeA?nierowska (Poland); filmmaker, dancer, and choreographer Ermira Goro (Albania / Greece); and teacher, dancer, and filmmaker Rosalynde LeBlanc (USA). Additional performers include a group of women from the NYC dance community who act as a chorus of women's protest (Eleanor Altholz, Nadia Halim, Garnet Henderson, Emily Giovine, Falls Kennedy, Morgen Littlejohn, Sadi Mosko, Nicole Rondeau, Carolyn Silverman, Kennedy Thomas, and Madeleine Wood.) Light and Desire features lighting design by Stacey-Jo Marine, intricate floral masks designed by Rebecca Makus, and original music composed by Robert Boston, with Jo Morris as a vocalist.

This world premiere is presented by New York Live Arts as part of Live Feed creative residency and commissioning program.