Art and Design Alum Explores Tourette Syndrome Through Dance
Sutie Madison ’11, a multidisciplinary artist with Tourette Syndrome, performed with the Everett Dance Theater on June 30, 2011, in Providence, R.I. The collaborative performance transforms “vocal and motor tics into exuberant and avante garde choreographic and theatrical sketches,” according to the Providence Journal.
Madison, who just graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Painting, focused her Senior Thesis project on investigating whether she could use her disability as an art form.
According to Madison, Tourette Syndrome is often misinterpreted, “Although Tourette Syndrome is a great challenge in my life there are worthwhile advantages to this disability and, in fact, to any disability. I want to give others like myself a voice that doesn’t necessarily beckon pity but rather nudges one to question their own pre-conceived notions about people with disabilities.” Combining the intensity of dance with the compelling language and movement of Tourette Syndrome will give viewers an eye-opening perspective on this disorder.
