The Machine

Juli Harter’s collaborative piece, 'The Machine', is accompanied by an original, self-made song that uses electronic based sounds to create a dystopian-esque world. The dancers find themselves inhabiting this world, making up parts of a machine that their lives are devoted to serving. Utilizing the structure of a trio, the dancers fight between obeying expectations put upon them by a higher system and breaking free to form their own identities. This struggle between conformity and individuality is represented through the monotonous and inescapable nature of repetition and the contrast in movement qualities. Sharp, angular shapes represent rigid structure; glitching and shaking represent malfunctioning; expansive, flowing movements represent freedom and individual expression; support between dancers represents connection. The dancers and music grapple between these qualities, showing the complexity of their struggle and asking what it means to forge your own path when you’ve never known anything but 'The Machine'.

'The Machine' premiered at the Junior Projects Showing at Ohio University in April of 2024.

Choreography: Juli Harter, in collaboration with Aliya Abeid, Brooke Boynar, and Hannah Cabral
Performers: Aliya Abeid, Brooke Boynar, and Juli Harter
Music by Juli Harter
Lighting Design by Juli Harter