Embarqued: Stories of Soil by Company SBB // Stefanie Batten Bland is a dance-theatre work that interrogates our relationships with memorialization, self, and country. Inspired by the discovery of the African American Heritage trail on Martha's Vineyard—a living, evolving memorial site for heroic stories of loss and resilience—this lushly envisioned work uses textile imagery to connect people and places across time, revealing post-colonial ghosts and mythologies which still hold sway today.
Stefanie Batten Bland is a global artist who blends African American flamboyance with European sensibility. Her work is situated at the intersection of dance-theatre, film, and installation, focusing on interrogating symbols in contemporary and historical culture.
Company SBB was estabished in France in 2008 while Batten Bland was positioned as head choreographer at the Paris Opéra Comique. Upon returning to New York City, she received the support of Mikhail Baryshnikov as a part of the esteemed residency program at Baryshnikov Arts Center. Her work has been presented at Lincoln Center Restart Stages, The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard, La MaMa Experimental Theatre, and internationally at the Spoleto Festival in Italy, Danseà Lille in France, and Tanztendenzen in Germany. Batten Bland is an Assistant Professor at Montclair State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance.