Alethia Antonia

What is We Are As Gods about?

It’s about being together again and the connection between the dancers and the audience. We’re taking over the whole of Battersea Arts Centre. There are nine professional dancers and 46 students, so it’s a complex production. Most importantly it’s centred on being together again, enjoying moving, enjoying our bodies and being a part of something that’s bigger than an individual. I’m working on this as a performer and a creative associate. James [Cousins] has been really generous. He understands that as an emerging artist you don’t usually get the opportunity to work on this kind of scale, so I appreciate that.

How did you get into choreography?

Throughout school I made things, but I didn’t necessarily want to become a choreographer. After graduating I had things I wanted to say, so I started making a solo piece called Inscribed in “Me”. I was initially doing it as a performer, then, earlier this year, I got my first Arts Council England grant to do the work fully. It will be my first full-length piece. It’s premiering at the Place in London in April 2022 and I’m performing a short extract at Sadler’s Wells’ Wild Card in January.

What themes do you explore in your work?

Most of it is autobiographical. I’m interested in questioning social and historical narratives, so a lot of it is to do with feminine blackness and self-authoring. I’m also interested in mental health, trauma, and how that exists in the body and the voice.