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.