Jitterbug and the Aftermath is a raw, expressionistic exploration of grief, panic, post-sexual-liberation, and an unmoored feminine identity. Through a patchwork of movement and text culled from dated feminist art and embarrassing 40^th birthdays, two women collide and disconnect with their fears, desires, and each other. This absurd, devised work fuses dance and physical clown theater to conjure contemporary women’s search for an elusive equilibrium. The work is a collaboration between New Orleans-based physical actor/ director Jennifer Sargent and New York dance artist Donna Costello.  The artists are thrilled to continue the development of Jitterbug at Dragon’s Egg this September, after its first public showing at Dixon Place’s “Performance Works-in-Progress Series” in New York City last May.

DONNA COSTELLO is a performer, creator and educator based in Brooklyn, NY.  Working as an independent dancer for the early part of her career, she has danced for a multitude of  choreographers in NYC.   Most recent projects include new works by Vicky Shick, jill sigman / thinkdance, Rebecca Alson Milkman and Kelly Bartnik. Ms. Costello began working with Jennifer Sargent in 2011 performing and co-creating the production “For the Sins…” Her own work has been presented by Movement Research, The flea theater, DanceRoulette, Green Space, Wow Café, Dixon Place, DanceNow/NYC, Brooklyn Arts Exchange (2011 Space Grant), SWEAT dance series and at Performatica in Mexico. 

 Photo by Lauren Hind 

JENNIFER SARGENT, based between NYC and New Orleans, is a physical actor, a creator of devised work, and the Director of theater company Vagabond Inventions. Jennifer has created nine original productions and numerous short pieces, all through ensemble-based collaboration. Her work, described as “Beckett-meets-Fellini” by the Montreal Gazette, has performed across the US and in seven countries. While living in Paris, Ms. Sargent co-directed the international ensemble, Théâtre Déséquilibrium. In NYC, she performed at The Chocolate Factory, HERE, Abrons Arts Center, The Brick Theater, and The Bushwick Starr. She completed the training program at École Jacques Lecoq in Paris.

 Video still by Michael Crockford