Omphaloskepsis (2010)

Choreographed and performed by Elinor Harrison

Text by Janet Harrison 

Set to my mom’s voice retelling the story of bearing a daughter with a life-threatening birth defect, this autobiographical piece explores the stories we are told about things we don’t remember and how they shape the people we become. Searching for meaning within physical demarcation--a crude scar trailing down my stomach where a bellybutton should be--this piece blends the medicalization of the birthing process with the overwhelming rapture of bringing a life into the world, the physical trauma of deformity with the humor of grasping for uniqueness, and the arbitrary nature of our origins with the choices we make along the way. 

Dumbo Dance Festival, Brooklyn, NY

Photo credit: Yi-Chun Wu