RITUAL

RITUAL is a cyclical exploration of confinement and freedom. Each section of the piece is designed to stand on its own or be performed out of sequence as part of a larger cycle. In this structure, the work examines how the primal became civilized, exploring what is constrained, what is preserved, and what resists.

Can the once-free escape suppression? Can the civilized step beyond the intricate boundaries of civilization?

As artists, SUUVI and Megan Paradowski came together at a similar moment in their lives, both expanding their practices and questioning the ideas they had been trained to believe. Out of the complexity of grappling with conflicting truths—while navigating the false certainty of adulthood in modern society—RITUAL emerged. The work is both an ode to their pasts and an expression of faith in the cyclical nature of freedom.

Created and directed by SUUVI + Megan Paradowski/EMPARA

Director of Photography - Colin Lupe

Original score - SUUVI

Choreography - Megan Paradowski/EMPARA

Performers - Skye Kita, Maddie Lacambra, Audrey Sides, Hope Spears, SUUVI, Jacquelyn Tepper, Marco Vega

Editing - Megan Paradowski

Color - Duran Castro

Photography - Teal Thomsen