The Psychosomatic Experience of Obligation
| a study |

Chamber Dance Company
Premiere 2023; The University of Washington
Meany Center for the Performing Arts

Austin Dance Festival
2024; Austin, TX
Rollins Studio Theater; The Long Center

Seattle International Dance Festival
2024, Spotlight on Seattle Now
Broadway Performance Hall; Seattle, WA

Versatility Dance Festival
2026; Boulder, CO + Los Angeles, CA
Hosted by T2 Dance Company

Dancers
Olivia Anderson, Derek Crescenti, Chris Kaiser, Cameo Lethem, Andrew McShea, Tariq Mitri, Maisy Neill, Sydney Nguyen, Lucien Postlewaite, Alicia Pugh, Emily Schoen Branch, Maya Tacon

Lighting
Peter Bracilano, Stephen Pruitt + Locke Landis

Music
David Toop, Tomek Kolczynski, Johann Sebastian Bach, Burak Ozdemir, Musica Sequenza, Donato Dizzy, + Anna Caragnano

Text
Written and Mixed by Beth Twigs
(with references and inspirations from Psychosomatic: Feminism in the Neurological Biology, by Elizabeth A. Wilson)

Photography and Videography
Warren Woo + Jim Coleman

The Psychosomatic Experiences of Obligation: A Study is an experimental dance-theatre piece that blends contemporary dance with spoken dialogue, exploring the intricate relationship between the body, mind, and societal expectations, especially through the lens of gender and obligation. Inspired by Elizabeth A. Wilson’s Psychosomatic: Feminism in the Neurological Biology, this piece interrogates the ways in which physical sensations, emotions, and societal demands intertwine, particularly from a feminist perspective.

The performance merges absurdity and humor with an underlying sense of tension and darkness, highlighting the discomfort of living within societal structures that demand compliance. The work navigates complex themes such as bodily autonomy, the neurological impacts of societal pressures, and the confusion between personal agency and externally imposed obligation. It is a reflection on the psychosomatic—how our bodies carry the weight of societal constructs—and the overwhelming, sometimes nonsensical, demands placed upon individuals, particularly women.