Kayla Jeanson - Plays Herself

Plays Herself is a contemporary dance solo choreographed and performed by Kayla Jeanson. In this gestural and acrobatic work, the dancer’s hands become agents of her subconscious, pulling her compulsively, trapping her with habits, and sabotaging her best intentions. As she is strung along on a journey guided by violin music and wayward emotion, Kayla learns to take control of her own instrument and find peace with her inner demons.

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WATCH excerpts from the solo

in this promo for the show The Murky Place

and this montage from public performances of the work.

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PRESS:

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“Montreal-based Kayla Jeanson’s Plays Herself likewise compels as a highly visceral, gestural-based work that becomes increasingly propulsive, its enigmatic ending wisely leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions…” ★★★★1/2

(Holly Harris, The Winnipeg Free Press, July 23, 2023)

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“[Plays Herself] depicts the struggle of our mind against enslavement: restraints and constraints of technology, demands, society and our own bodies. The spectacular grace and agility keeps the water enchanted.”
(Ray Yuen, The Jenny Revue, July 2023)