Slur by Ilana Turner
Propelled by a deep-seated need to make art and by sheer grit, Maud Allan has risen to world fame in pre-WW1 Europe as one of the first ‘modern’ dancers, only to find herself embroiled in a brutal legal fight for her reputation. As the war rages, misogynistic, homophobic ultra-conservative Member of Parliament (M.P.) Noel Pemberton Billing accuses her of promoting sexual deviancy and gathering German spies via...
Propelled by a deep-seated need to make art and by sheer grit, Maud Allan has risen to world fame in pre-WW1 Europe as one of the first ‘modern’ dancers, only to find herself embroiled in a brutal legal fight for her reputation. As the war rages, misogynistic, homophobic ultra-conservative Member of Parliament (M.P.) Noel Pemberton Billing accuses her of promoting sexual deviancy and gathering German spies via her performances. Based on a true story, the disturbingly timely Slur delves into the hypocrisy of discriminatory moral mandates for women, the diabolical usage of guilt by association, and the power of words – which even in a pre-social media era could be amplified for better or, in this case, for worse.