Athena. Aphrodite. Artemis. Amphitrite. These are just a few names of ancient Greek goddesses, the central theme of this year’s Night of Dance production.

Senior Executive Board Captain Ruby Ehrlich explained that in her initial brainstorming, she wanted to connect the show back to Archer. She started with the idea of basing the show around the Greek goddess Artemis.

“[Artemis is] a Greek goddess that inspired the name of Archer, and her attributes are inspirational for what Archer girls are intended to grow to be,” Ehrlich said.

Ehrlich thought she should broaden the scope of the show to include several Greek goddesses and different goddess archetypes, which led her to title the show “Odyssey.” Though the name is based on Homer‘s male-centric epic poem, Ehrlich said that the group aimed to subvert traditional narrative structures.

“We wanted to create a show that would take the audience on a journey through ancient Greece through a lens of looking at goddesses, which is why we named it Odyssey,” she said. “But instead of a hero’s journey, it is going to follow women.”

Senior Production Captain Bea Freeman said that a desire to focus on “female empowerment” influenced the structure of the show, which highlights individual goddesses.

“Each dance has been assigned a goddess, and that dance will represent them in some way,” Freeman said. “It doesn’t have to be literal, but it can have…symbolism and meaning behind it.”

Ehrlich expressed excitement about how student-involved the show is this year, with the Executive Board having a large influence on not only the theme but the dances, lighting, costumes, and production.

“The Exec Board has really taken it upon ourselves to be super involved,” she said. “The show will reflect the students more than it ever has before.”