As described in the program, PENUMBRA "delve[s] into the shadow self and the tensions between impulse restraint and the ego," simultaneously drawing on the work of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. Every dancer had a motif that they repeated throughout the performance, including both questions such as "Where did everyone go?" By repeating movements in sync and out of sync, the dancers portrayed a desperation to both seek self and escape self. At the end of the act, in a powerful final moment, the dancers stepped into the bright light and out of the shadow. Reflecting back on the first act, Conti said, "We created our own solos and then [choreographer Danielle Russo] took those solos and … crafted around it."

Source: Daily Sun March 24, 2026 16:10 UTC