Dancing Through Addiction: ‘Erase The Night’ at TPAC
The Nashville Ballet’s “Erase The Night” was truly remarkable. The performance was presented at TPAC’s Polk Theater from May 2-4, 2025 as part of their season-ending “Attitude” series. This world premiere courageously delves into profound themes of addiction, isolation, and the eventual, powerful embrace of community support and hope. Before delving into the intricacies of this premiere, we need to talk about the two opening pieces which set the stage. As part of the “Attitude” series, Jennifer Archibald’s Quem Viver, Verá explored the life of male dancers, embracing strong lines and fluidity. The music was very grand, perfectly fitting for TPAC’s stage. I found the use of breath and chatter within the musical background, as well as the use of shadows, to be very beautiful. It added a sense of authenticity to the piece. Penny Saunders’ Sur le Fil provided me with a nostalgic feeling of childhood. I found the use of the hat in the piece as an interesting touch. While not very easy to feel a story-line with, it did bring up questions within me about what that hat could symbolize. I thought of shared struggles that can only be sorted through with the help of another person. Penny Saunders’ did say in an interview that she wanted to be elusive with the work and leave a lot of room for the audience to interpret the meaning. With that in mind, I feel her intentions manifested.
As an enthusiast of more cultural dances, I was pleasantly surprised by how “Erase The Night” resonated with me. It showed me that ballet can be a lot more than my preconceived notions of the art form. Ballet itself was founded in the royal courts, thus created as a way to signify prestige and maintain power imbalances. With that history I expected ballet to have less spiritual energy, as the art form has valued being precise with motion and technique rather than revealing an authentic expression. This ballet proved me wrong, showing it can hold spiritual depth while being highly technical.
While the dancer’s actions may have not been their truth, what was expressed on stage is a truth for many. Specifically, Nick Mullikin, the artistic director and CEO of the Nashville Ballet, who used his own story and struggle through addiction as a catalyst to create a ballet that will change you from the inside out. A quick congratulations to him for 10 years of sobriety. This piece, authentically inspired and developed in collaboration with health professionals and addiction specialists, acted as a bridge for the viewer between the inner and outer world of someone going through addiction. Every minute of play time was well spent. As someone who has a family history of substance abuse and alcoholism, it was especially moving to me. There were points where I couldn’t help but cry, feeling what was happening on stage combined with my own personal experience.
As this was my first ballet recital outside of seeing the nutcracker at the Chattanooga Tivoli in 5th grade, I am not the best person to speak about changes of set design. I have however more recently taken an interest in how setting shapes experience. From my perspective, the set design by Mark Halpin was well done. While very reliant on technology such as projections – expertly handled by projection and lighting designer Sharon Huizinga – in order to “create the scene”, they made sure to have constructed pieces as well for the dancers to interact with. This balance made it so the changes of mood and setting were easy to follow without anything feeling forced. There were many “cues” done through the set design, as well as the dancer, which we will touch on later. The set design, as for the projection screens, included her perception of reality at the time. The mood of the other dancers was also displayed through changes in music and lighting, as well of course of choreography. The original score, co-composed by Nashville’s Jordan Lehning and singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews, added immense depth to the story. Performed live by Andrews, quite elegantly, might I add, and an ensemble of local musicians, the music and song guided the thinking of the audience so we could dig for a deeper meaning, allowing the message to resonate auditorily as well as visually.
The intentional contrast between and within the scenes was quite impressive. Starting with the first set design, we were in the inner world of the main dancer, who had a beautifully designed dress by costume designer Noelle Wedig-Johnston. The way it flowed and ruffled reminded me of child-like innocence, showing the remarkable beauty obtained through play. The other costumes often held more dull colors to where the eye was naturally drawn to Sam, the woman struggling with alcoholism. Move to later where she had too much to drink and is passed out asleep, the dress adds realness to the stillness we observe. While other aspects of the costume design were vital for the show, the aspects most worth mentioning is the masks. These were the animal and clown like masks which the family and friends of Sam would put on when her hallucinations set in. It was haunting, but I could not take my eyes off the stage. I feel it let us into her sense of anxiety with the exaggerated features and distorted reality.
As I said before, the dancer would cue the audience to when her hallucinations would start. It was the trembling of her hands. I have strong respect for Colette Tilinski who danced on the 4th. She is highly skilled at the act of embodiment. Even from afar, I could see the expressions on her face. To be that good at embodying such a painful reality requires a deep understanding of the struggles that come with addiction. Her embodied understanding is evident that she respected the role and allowed it to guide her movements on stage, precise and flowing with emotion.
Worth mentioning is the emphasis on relationships throughout the piece. We got to experience how addiction can strain familial, romantic, and platonic relationships. You could see that the other people cared for her, but at a certain point, they could no longer be around what was happening. It is hard to help someone that does not want to help themselves. One thing I wish we could have seen was the process of her gaining sobriety. The shift from hallucinations and tremors to walking peacefully into the distance before the curtains closed felt a little abrupt. Nonetheless, the point was still made and the storyline was clear. If it would have been more slowly guided near the end though, I feel it would have made an even stronger impact.
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Audrey Rose Conley is a sociology student at MTSU with a passion for exploring the transformative power of dance. Her research delves into how dance can challenge social norms, promote individual empowerment, and foster social change. As a rapper and singer, she uses her artistic voice to express these themes and inspire others to embrace their authentic creativity.
