Rwanda-born Dorothée Munyaneza, currently based in France, is an artist whose work examines the scars of history. Following her powerful Samedi Détente (Under the Radar 2016), which evoked Munyaneza’s personal memories and the generational wound of genocide in Rwanda, Unwanted examines the physical and mental repercussions of rape used as an instrument of war. Performed alongside the ethereal melodies of experimental musician Holland Andrews (Portland, OR), and created in collaboration with French composer Alain Mahé and South African visual artist Bruce Clarke, Unwanted draws from stories of Tutsi women survivors to investigate how the female body holds, moves, and operates within the confines of a lived trauma.
Unwanted was developed, in part, during a BAC Artist Residency.
Dorothée Munyaneza is supported by FACE Contemporary Theater, a program developed by FACE Foundation and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States with lead funding from Florence Gould Foundation, Institut français, and the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. Lead support of dance programming at BAC is provided by the Rudolf Nureyev Endowment. Major support for dance programming and activities provided by the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Harkness Foundation for Dance. Leadership support for international residencies at BAC is provided by the Ford Foundation.
Making Dance Out of the Unspeakable
Interview with Dorothée Munyaneza about Unwanted
Refusing to Bow Down: Dorothée Munyaneza’ speaks about “Unwanted”
The Body Speaks
Women and trauma: Munyaneza's "Unwanted" comes to New York
Review: Making Eloquent Theater From Bleak Facts
IMPRESSIONS: Dorothée Munyaneza / Compagnie Kadidi “Unwanted” at Baryshnikov Arts Center
Dorothée Munyaneza
Dorothée Munyaneza is originally from Rwanda, where she spent her childhood. She is of British nationality and currently lives in Marseille, France. After completing her musical studies at the Jonas Foundation in London and then in social sciences at Canterbury Christ Church University, Munyaneza took part on the AfroCelt Sound System’s Anatomic album, and composed and sang part of the original soundtrack of the film Hotel Rwanda.
Holland Andrews
In early 2010, Holland Andrews began a solo project under the alias of Like a Villain. She pulls her influences from notable minimalist composers such as Arvo Pärt, contemporary vocalists including Diamanda Galás, modern experimental musicians like Björk, and is heavily influenced by Broadway and opera music.