Video, Sound, and Programming by Todd Winkler
Choreographed and Performed by Cindy Cummings
Lighting Design by Nick McColl
 
Hitchcock finds women captivating but dangerous. She allures by nature but she is chief artificer in civilization, a magic fabricator of persona whose very smile is an arc of deception.

- Camille Paglia


Hitches Bitches is a spoof on the suspense and horror movies of the 1950ís. We are
particularly interested in those heightened moments of emotion, when the killer arrives or someone falls off a cliff, and how they are played out with movement and musical clichés.  Some of the best examples of these stylized moments can be seen in the portrayal of the tormented blonde starlets in the films of Alfred Hitchcock.

In our work, we have refashioned these images and gestures to create a new narrative.  Our story begins with our heroine trying to escape an unseen monster. At first, the monster seems to be the ìperfectî woman: an evil Barbie character who will always be more beautiful, more glamorous, and more desirable than any mortal woman.

But, as it turns out, the performer is pursued by the most dangerous of all enemies, herself.  As she tries to compete with blonde perfection, she is tormented by her inability to realize her ideal self image. Even in a blissful state of love, unconscious voices constantly peck away at her self esteem. Eventually, she is consumed and destroyed by the media images she strives to become.

Computer audio/video playback and motion-sensing technology are used in this work to
develop a physical relationship between the dancer, the sound, and the projected images.
Video clip selection, speed, and direction are influenced by the dancerís movements so
that, at times, she appears to be controlling the video clips, and at other times they appear to be controlling her.

Hitches Bitches premiered in 1998 in Project@the Mint as part of an evening with the
Crash Ensemble. The version presented tonight has been rewritten and expanded to take
advantage of recent advances in digital video technology.