July 24th & July 25th, 2009 
 
Malice Dreaming Productions presents:

Spinster's Ball

spin-ster (n.)
1. A woman who has remained single beyond the conventional age for marrying.
2. A single woman.
3. A person whose occupation is spinning.

This is a show exploring different facets of female independence in those who were/ are typecast as spinsters both in history and in pure fiction....How and why these characters came to be spinsters, voluntarily or circumstantially.....and their varying emotional states in response. 

2 shows!
Friday, July 24th at 9:00pm   ~  http://fridayspinster.eventbrite.com
Saturday, July 25th at 9:00pm   ~  http://saturdayspinster.eventbrite.com


at Studio A Dance
2306 Hyperion Ave
Los Angeles, CA  90027

Tickets:  $11 in advance, $20 at the door, if seating is available
                Advance ticket sales will end at 3pm the day of each performance

• "When a stereotype is outside or deviant from what people generally consider normal, these stereotypes function as a form of social control.  In fact, historically spinsters have been controlled by society.  Until the late 19th century, unmarried women could not own property and were subject to the financial control of the family hierarchy."
• Haskell succinctly describes our collective uneasiness with the stereotype:  "Like 'witch', 'spinster' was a scareword, a stereotype that served to embrace and isolate a group of women of vastly different dispositions, talents, situations, but whose common bond - never having become half of a pair - was enough to throw into question the rules and presumed priorities on which society was founded" (p. 18).
  (Haskell, M. (1988).  "Paying Homage to the Spinster".  New York Times Magazine, May 8, 18-20.)
   
• "She is usually alone, or living with an extended family.  She is considered a societal outcast living in the shadow of others.  She makes those around her uncomfortable."
•  "A theory has been proposed saying that when women have not been biological mothers, society expects them to fulfill the role of "social mothers."   Since a spinster has no children of her own, society expects her to step in and fulfill a generic mothering role when called upon - it's her 'duty'."
   
•  The stages of infancy, childhood, and adolescence are temporary and considered part of normal development.  But when a person remains in one stage too long (i.e. spinsters staying single), this behavior is looked at suspiciously.   "..the single woman has historically been both intriguing and a challenge to men when she is young.  But prolonged singleness - even prolonged virginity - is still suspect".  Furthermore, married women tend to be suspicious of single women and view them as either a personal or societal threat. 
   
• "Even though there has been a shift in our perception of this creature, the spinster, we still are not comfortable with her. There is still something suspect about female independence, something that still threatens the status quo."

August 15 & August 16, 2009

Zahra Zuhair and Carolyn Krueger present:
CARAVAN OF SECRETS
A journey to imaginary landscapes inspired by the cultures and contradictions found among the ancient Silk Roads, Sea Routes and Gypsy Trails of the Middle East and Central Asia

 
3 shows!
Saturday, August 15th, 8:00 PM
Sunday, August 16th, 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM

at the Electric Lodge Theatre
1416 Electric Ave.
Venice, CA 90291

Tickets: $25.00

For the Sunday matinee only:  Special children's price $12 (12yrs & under)

More info: zahra@aol.com, gulistan@earthlink.net
Purchase tickets:  http://www.zahrazuhair.com/caravan.html


















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Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23, 2009:

Celebrate Dance Festival

in Balboa Park

http://www.eveoke.org/cdf/info.html

**The premiere of the new Malice Dreaming choreography "An Afternoon's Diversion" (see Repertoire page for details) will be performed at this festival!!