Accidental Nostalgia

Cynthia Hopkins’ Accidental Nostalgia is a meditation on the mystery of the memory function of the brain. The piece, using slides, dance monologues and music weighs the romanticization of heritage against the merits of a knowledge of one’s history, and celebrates the possibility of self-creation in opposition to one’s roots and in spite of crippling past experience. The general themes of memory, heritage, and possibilities for change in one’s identity are explored through the story of a woman who suffers from severe memory loss and embarks on an investigation of her own history, only to find it might be better left remembered.