Forklift Danceworks presented Oh Mother, an evening of contemporary dance by six local choreographers who were in various states of motherhood, in Feb of 2006. Artistic Director Allison Orr, who was pregnant at the time, commissioned some of her favorite local choreographers, who were also mothers, to present work with her. In addition to Orr, choreographers for Oh Mother included Austin notables Leslie Dworkin, Sharon Marroquin, Michelle Nance, Leticia Rodriguez, and Caroline Sutton Clark.

For Orr, the decision to become a parent followed a number of years of thinking and strategizing about how to balance an artistic career with the demands of parenting. Explains Orr, “So much of the talk around mothering involves complete and total sacrifice on the mother’s part. I have realized that those standards of motherhood don’t necessarily have to apply to me, or to anyone, and that becoming a mother doesn’t have to mean sacrificing art making, just as making art does not preclude me from being a great mom.” With Oh Mother, Orr wanted to build her own artist/mother community and stimulate a dialogue about what it means to take on both mothering and art making.

Highlights from Oh Mother included 4 short dances for 6 pregnant women by Caroline Sutton Clark, two captivating solos by choreographers Sharon Marroquin and Michelle Nance, a text/movement/video work by mother-of-two Leticia Rodriguez, a duet by parents and artistic collaborators Leslie Dworkin and Kent de Spain, and a trio for 3 pregnant women by Allison Orr.

Both critics and audience members loved Oh Mother. All 4 performances sold-out and the show received two nominations from the Austin Critics Table and was listed as one of the Top Dance Events of 2006 by The Austin Chronicle.

Writes Robert Faires of The Austin Chronicle about Orr’s trio, “Allison Orr truly made the most of her pregnancy through this sweet and witty dance, performed with fellow expectant moms Andrea Comola and Jennifer Tietz Gwin, in which the three inflated balloons to the size of their inflated bellies and bounced them playfully into the sky.