WOLF

This piece stems from a long-standing fascination that began in my childhood: the history of the witch trials and the question of who the “witch” really was and who she might be today. Over the years, this curiosity evolved from wondering who she was to asking why it happened then, and how it still affects women now.

Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici helped me understand how the witch trials were rooted in the rise of capitalism and the effort to control women’s bodies and labour. Many of the patterns and systems Federici describes still impact women today and, in some ways, seem to be resurfacing in current global politics.

This realisation left me with a deep sense of fear, anger, and hopelessness.

That perspective began to shift when I discovered Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Drawing on her work as a Jungian psychoanalyst and storyteller, Estés reclaims old myths as pathways to healing the female psyche; restoring intuition, creativity, and our natural cycles of life.

Through her words, I began to sense that what had been suppressed could also be reawakened.

Then, while watching a documentary about the rewilding of wolves in Yellowstone, I felt an unexpected sense of jealousy, jealousy for the wolves who were not only allowed to return, but welcomed back into an ecosystem ready to adapt and thrive with their presence.

All of this...the history, the myths, the anger, the hope, the excitement, and even the jealousy, led me to a simple realisation: I have been given 20 minutes on stage, and two female dancers. With that time and space, I can offer an environment where the Wild Woman can return.

This piece is my contribution to the rewilding of the Wild Women.