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On Nov. 20 and 23, Harvard-Radcliffe Modern Dance Company performed their Fall 2025 showcase “EX MACHINA,” a deeply human look at a future shaped by technology. Directed by Katy E. Nairn ’26 and Xinran (Olivia) Ma ’26 — a Crimson Arts Editor — “EX MACHINA” explored what it means to be human in an increasingly automated world.

“We thought about the whole AI thing, and thinking about where does our mind go when we’re using [it], when we’re kind of letting the ChatGPT language guide ourselves,” Ma said.

Many of the pieces in the showcase explore this theme and more, including the ways we react to a changing world, what an automated future might look like, and the limits to perfection in artificial intelligence.

“And we’re also doing another play on the word ‘ex machina,’ taking from deus ex machina, the kind of theatrical device from the Greco-Roman times where something surprising comes out of the blue, and what does it really mean when you’re confronted with this mechanical element that is not expected,” Ma said.

“Deus ex machina” is a Latin term used to describe a plot device which unexpectedly resolves a seemingly impossible problem. In their showcase, HRMDC reimagined “the sudden and disruptive force” of deus ex machina through the rise of artificial intelligence.

Once the directors came up with the theme of the show, they reached out to their dancers and invited them to pitch pieces they might like to choreograph.

Student choreographers helped bring their vision to life through pieces that blended flowy, graceful movement with sharp, jarring twists in the dance and the music. Each piece embodied a unique style and expression and focused on specific tensions between the human and automated world.

“With ‘EX MACHINA,’ I was kind of thinking about the dystopian theme has been done so many times before. It’s very big in pop culture, but I think recently in the last year with AI and stuff, there’s an added layer of discomfort and tension around the themes,” Isabel C. Dean ’27, choreographer of the piece “WOMEN, ALIEN, OTHER,” said. “Especially with ‘WOMEN, ALIEN, OTHER,’ I was thinking about how women will be affected by AI and how a lot of the biases and problems we have in society will just be perpetuated by these developments in technology.”

From “WOMEN, ALIEN, OTHER,” which opened the showcase, the performance transitioned into “Wireborn,” a graceful trio choreographed by Joy An ’27 that explored the possibility of AI feeling love toward a human being. This piece embodied the gray area between viewing AI as an inanimate series of code or as a being which seems to know exactly how to show care for the human user.

Breaking away from the automated, steely themes, “Friend Request Accepted” — also choreographed by An — embraced buoyant, playful movement. Dancers donned animal masks and earthy clothing, creating a contrast between their outfits for this number and the black leotards from previous pieces.

The next piece “Chop Wood, Carry Water,” choreographed by Naomi M. S. Corlette ’25-’26, was a fluid duet between two similarly dressed dancers who both opposed and supported each others’ movement, creating almost mirror images of one another.

“[My piece] was about humans trying to innovate to perfection and not being able to,” Corlette said.

HRMDC’s showcase also featured a number choreographed by an alumna of the troupe, Lauren Covalucci ’14. After taking a break from dance post-graduation, Covalucci reached out to Nairn and Ma to ask whether they would be interested in having her come back and choreograph a piece.

“This year, I wanted to kind of rehab my relationship to movement.” Covalucci said. “And out of the blue I was just listening to a song that was getting me amped up, and even having not danced for this long, I still choreograph in my head when I hear music. It’s been such a weird experience, so I’m just like, ‘You know, screw it. I’m going to see if they want alumna choreographers.’”

Her piece, “Tinfoil Hats,” explored human reactions to a changing world. In keeping with the title, one of the dancers broke the fourth wall halfway through the number and started putting tinfoil hats on audience members, referring to these hats as a symbol of resistance against mind control.

In addition to the gratification of choreographing the piece itself, Covalucci found joy in the process of returning to her old troupe.

“It’s made me happy to see that something that I put so much into back in the day is still such a welcoming, open, supportive place, so a lot of it felt new and a lot of it felt like, ‘Oh yeah, I know these ropes, I’ve done this before,’” Covalucci said.

Many of the dancers expressed similar feelings of belonging and fondness for the group.

“Sometimes doing a show doesn’t really feel like I’m working. I feel like I’m just hanging out with friends,” Ma said. “It’s something that I think is very rare. HRMDC is a no-cut company, so we welcome dancers from all different kinds of backgrounds.”

Dancers cited the no-cut, meet-you-where-you-are format of the company as a core building block of HRMDC, not only in the literal sense of inclusivity but also in the overall culture of the group.

“Everyone probably has said it, but it’s such an inclusive and open environment, which is such a breath of fresh air compared to what most dancers have experienced growing up,” Dean said.