BOXED, I’ll Pretend, Beginning is in the End
Imprints’ newest work, “BOXED”, explores the many emotions associated with feeling trapped in a situation, relationship, or feeling. Five Imprints company performers and five guest artists play with repetition and grooving movements to symbolize the dangerous comfort of patterns and cycles we can sometimes find ourselves trapped in—— and while we may not feel it at first, unease gradually looms. The performers’ once relaxed movements intensify into itching, scratching, and screaming to embody an intense desire to escape from these cycles of entrapment.
“I’ll Pretend” portrays the early aftermath of a relationship’s end. This solo work tells the story of a young woman in denial, imagining her partner is still sitting next to her despite losing her love to another woman. While the soloist continues to deny reality, depicting a sense of false happiness and numbness, “I’ll Pretend” digs into the inevitable discomfort, fear, and loneliness that she must process in healing from a deep, romantic pain.
“Beginning is in the End” is an excerpt from Imprints’ first full-length show “Let Us Bleed, Then Heal”— which has been touring throughout California and Utah, much to the delight of audiences. In this excerpt, Hannah Millar portrays unseen forces that guide us through dark and difficult moments in life. “Beginning is in the End” honors those forces, which Millar believes are Guides, Higher Self and Angels, who support us even if we feel that we have no strength or courage to continue on. Millar shows that it’s crucial to trust these guides especially amidst adversity—whether we’re at the end of a relationship, moment, or job—as there’s something new on the other side waiting to be reborn within us.