Malefica (2023)

“Malefica” explores the gendered impact of the pervasive cultural portrayals of witches, especially as they relate to our current political climate. The persecution of witches is deeply embedded in the history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, most famously documented through the Salem Witch Trials. Our research and performance aims to confront the puritanical values upon which colonial Massachusetts was founded, which continue to be exemplified in antagonism toward marginalized people today. “Malefica”  will expand upon the fabled caricature of “the Crone” and question the stereotypes that perpetuate the demonization of women, femme, and gender non-conforming people. detritus dance is calling upon the untold stories of our ancestors persecuted as heretics to reckon with the trauma these events still have in our physical bodies.