Manifested Destiny is an evening-length work choreographed by sisters Charly & Eriel Santagado. The piece explores American culture through the lens of great American literature across recent history. From Walt Whitman to Claudia Rankine, from Langston Hughes to John Steinbeck to Amy Tan, Manifested Destiny calls upon the work of 13 American writers with a wide range of backgrounds and styles. Over the course of the evening, the perspectives of these authors are examined chronologically through precise, language-inspired choreography that highlights how they clash and coincide. The piece opens and closes with a movement translation of To Elsie, William Carlos Williams' harrowing poem about the plight of America.

2020
55 minutes
Choreography: Charly & Eriel Santagado
Original music and text: Vicente Hansen, Nikolai Popow, Charly Santagado
Dancers: Erin Ambry, Dylan Balka, Bailey Benoot, Nathan Forster, Karolina Holmstrom, Mikaela Morisato, Nayaa Opong, Aanyse Pettiford-Chandler, Mikayla Russo, Charly Santagado, Eriel Santagado, Harry Sukonik