Below the Bottom (Mare Nostrum Elements ECS 2025)
Company:
Susie McHugh + Dancers
Susie McHugh + Dancers are presenting their latest work "Below the Bottom" as part of Mare Nostrum Elements' Emerging Choreography Series 2025 alongside two talented choreographers Jiemin Yang and Caroline Brethenoux.
"Below the Bottom" is a powerful dance theater work by Susanne (Susie) McHugh, delving into the raw reality of mental illness and the resilience behind recovery. Inspired by Susie’s personal journey and her work in the mental health field, the piece captures the complexity of mental health challenges and the non-linear path of healing.
Performed by a cast of five, the work unfolds in diary-like sections of struggle and strength that shed light on the emotional realities of living with mental illness and navigating a deeply flawed mental healthcare system. This piece transforms those experiences into art, offering validation and understanding that the system often fails to provide. Through storytelling-based choreography, “Below the Bottom” fosters empathy, sparks connection, and reminds us that healing is possible. Susie McHugh + Dancers are presenting this work at LPAC on 4/25 (7:30pm) and 4/27 (3pm).
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Mare Nostrum Elements (MNE) is a non-profit arts organization based in Queens, NY. Each year, MNE produces the Emerging Choreographer Series (ECS), an intensive crash course in self-producing; offering rehearsal space, compensation, career development consultations, and professional mentorship to selected choreographers.
In 2024, Mare Nostrum Elements is taking a new venture to deepen our support for the NYC dance community and uplift our Emerging Choreographer Series (ECS) alumni. ECS 2024 will support 6 alumni choreographers by pairing them with presenting venues and providing them resources to produce 30-45 minutes of work in a split bill format.
