I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.
-Frida Kahlo

Self-Portrait is a 30-minute solo performance originally commissioned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the 2008 Frida Kahlo exhibition. Combining live animation, video, still imagery, and technically demanding dance, Self Portrait becomes a living performance sculpture that the audience views from three sides. Miller and Rothlein join their choreographic and visual experience, using imagery and themes inspired by Kahlo's paintings to create a performance experience resonating from a single dancing body that is both restrained and boundless. Inspired greatly by Kahlo's diary, the human body becomes a canvas for self-expression by becoming a projection surface, catching the vivid, jewel-toned colors being hand-painted onto the performer via projection. Self-Portrait seeks to provide a new entry point for understanding the work of this monumental artist, while functioning as a universal testament to liberation through confinement and pain.

Concept and direction: Amanda Miller and Tobin Rothlein

Choreography and Performance: Amanda Miller

Animation and Projection design: Tobin Rothlein

Lighting Design: James Clotfelter

Costume and Set Design: Miro Dance Theatre

Music: Regina Spektor, Tin Hat Trio, Lullatone, David Cieri