Artist’s statement: In 2010-11 I began a new direction in the Reality Series called the “Baggage Project”. In 2007 my husband and partner of 39 years Alfred Desio passed away. Even though Alfred is no longer here, I believe his nurturing spirit still remains with me. While no two people grieve identically, one commonality of grief is this lingering “baggage” carried after losing a loved one. Although the word “baggage” often carries a negative connotation, the works in my series redefine the term as a continuation of life and a feeling of comfort from this energy and influence. In June 2012, I was one of 7 national artists selected by Marc Bamuthy Joseph, Director of Performing Arts at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, to present my creative impulse behind this work for the closing portion of the Dance USA conference called Vision 20/20. That current creative work was Tap Dance Widows Club, drawing from the 50′ film and live presentation from The Baggage Project, a series on how we are affected by those who are no longer with us because of the strong connection when alive. Since the loss of my husband, I have become aware that half of our culture shares this kind of presence after personal losses. The works inspired by this have met with wonderful audience reaction and many requests for more works in the Project.
– Louise Reichlin, Creator of work

Spectacular, moving, uplifting!” Past & present meet for an eclectic celebration of life in Tap Dance Widows Club, a 50′ film / live production that tells a story of the love of three performers for their late husbands and the bond it created between them. The work brings together multiple dance forms in a unique multimedia piece using the power of Dance; an inside story from 30’s Hollywood to now. The widow’s conversations about moving forward without their husbands’ physical presence are both hilarious and moving; this became the audio for the transformative work. After grieving for the loss of a loved one, we accept the richness that person has brought to our lives. The work is part of The Baggage Project suite that includes live dance combined with user and artist-generated multimedia that explores our changing perception of death, and the positive baggage we carry with us when a loved one is no longer corporal but still present. Louise was inspired to create the work after the death of her husband Alfred Desio.