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IMPRESSIONS: “Shadowboxing in Blue” by Danse Theatre Surreality at Haven Boxing
By Sabrina Petrelli;@sabrinapetrelli on Instagram
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Published on November 1, 2025
Photo by Lisabel Leon
Danse Theatre Surreality (DTS), under the artistic direction of Lauren Hlubny and Kyra Hauck, presents the world premiere of Shadowboxing in Blue, an evening-length work that merges boxing, movement, and live music to explore themes of inner struggle and the dynamics of the subconscious mind.
Set within Haven Boxing in Brooklyn, this intimate boxing ring transforms into a performance space unlike any other. The evening begins with a 30-minute interactive workshop, engaging the audience directly in the art of boxing. Guided through movements like the jab, cross, hook, and uppercut, the spectators evolve into participants breathing, moving, and punching in unison. By the end of this warm-up, the audience becomes an ensemble themselves, embodying the show’s message that movement, whether dance or boxing, can be an empowering outlet for all.
The performance opens with a large blue fabric draped across the boxing ring. One boxer sits just outside, meticulously taping her fingers with purpose, while another warms up within the ring. Under dim, moody lighting that glows in shades of blue, the atmosphere feels charged with suspense and quiet anticipation. Each boxer wears blue shorts printed with words Recent Past, Near Future, Distant Future, and Long Past. The role of Present, portrayed powerfully by Gaby Machuca, serves as the central figure navigating among these different selves, embodying the conflict and connection between one’s temporal identities.
In one compelling section, Machuca folds the blue fabric gently, almost tenderly, before punching it with force. A striking contrast of care and aggression, her gestures move from self-soothing to explosive, suggesting an internal battle between vulnerability and resistance. The fabric becomes a powerful symbol: is it her stream of consciousness — fluid and fragile, or a veil used to conceal her truest self?
Throughout the work, relationships emerge and dissolve. At one moment, two characters interact playfully, reminiscent of childhood friendship and innocent joy. Yet, the tone shifts as dependency and emotional weight come into play. When Present collapses, relying on Recent Past for support, we see the strain of carrying others’ burdens. The eventual release — a dropped body and a sigh of relief poses a poignant question: What happens when the weight of others becomes too heavy to bear?
The boxing bell, recurring throughout the performance, signals transitions — each ring marking a new chapter or revelation. The live musician responds dynamically to the action, using sound as a guiding force for Present. When the music swells, Machuca’s movements become more urgent; when she silences the musician, the tension in the space thickens. Her trembling hands and shaking legs are not signs of fear, but of courage — physical manifestations of emotional endurance. As the audience, we are only able to observe and wonder what this person is going through.
Later, Machuca unwraps her cotton bandages, revealing her bare hands. Her movement vocabulary departs from the rigid strikes of boxing and softens into circular, fluid, and organic action. Her gestures expand outward like wings, perhaps signaling self-acceptance or transcendence.
The phrase, “I take a step, I slip, I fall, I get up, I slip, I fall,” is the spoken form of the physical resilience and recovery shown throughout the piece. When the other shadow boxers lift her, only for her to fall again, the moment resonates. Present’s repeated ringing of the bell becomes a plea for mercy, for closure, for renewal.
As the work concludes, the blue fabric once again envelops Present, signifying reconciliation among all versions of the self: past, present, and future. Standing outside the ring, she gazes upon it as one might a memory, with the acceptance that what was painful was essential to who she has become.
Shadowboxing in Blue is an act of communal healing. By blending dance, boxing, and live sound, Danse Theatre Surreality illuminates the ways art mirrors life’s battles, and reminds us that true change begins when we face ourselves.
![IMPRESSIONS: Will Rawls' [siccer] at the Keith Haring Theatre, Performance Space New York](/images/features_large/20251119_WillRawls_siccer_PerformanceSpaceNY_WhitneyBrowne--55.jpg)
