Catherine Gallant/DANCE Presents Escape from the House of Mercy -Preview

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

“...Escape from the House of Mercy is a 21st-century women's view of our social support systems measuring both the ground gained and the distance yet to be traveled. It is an abstract choreographic rendering of sensations and images evoking the spirits of women whose lives were forever changed by the workhouses and laundries in the US and Ireland. Flesh and tears haunt the dreams and shattered hopes of escape. The ghost-filled air surrounds the dancers as they wrap themselves in transparent net fabric, both isolating and protective, from the forces at work against them. Catherine Gallant/DANCE now invites audiences to wonder and reflect upon why these places from the past are important now and how history connects us to the present condition of women’s rights around the globe. Our work shines a thought-provoking light onto these stories.

The House of Mercy was one of several institutions at Inwood Hill Park in NYC. It was a home for abandoned and troubled women; most inhabitants were brought there against their wills. A young woman could be locked up for years for an offense such as dancing in public or walking alone at night. Inhumane and demoralizing treatment was disguised as rehabilitation as the rights of the poor, especially women were completely denied..."