Karen Sherman: Copperhead

Karen Sherman is an artist with both grit and guts, a shaker-upper of our sometimes complacent local dance scene. Traumatized women and the forces that mold them simmer at the core of "copperhead," her latest dance-theater work. Drawing on two sources of extreme ordeals, the work explores the haunting bonds between victims and perpetrators. One influence, the book Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jent, documents the author's obsession with a man who brutally attempted to murder her at a campsite. The other references the experiences of the Manson Family women, who have described a conflicted sense of relationship with their victims. "Copperhead" is an expanded version of the fascinating "one born bad" that took place in Sherman's basement, where audience members sat toe-to-toe with performers who were sometimes only partially visible. Her cast of eight includes powerhouse performers like Morgan Thorson, Emily Johnson, Justin Jones, and, of course, Sherman herself.
Thu., Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 3, 10:30 p.m.; Oct. 3-4, 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 5, 7 p.m., 2008