BodyShots is back on at Marshall University for the 14th time. The performance will be on March 2nd at Joan C. Edwards Playhouse and is open to all members of the community.  

According to Robin Conley, a co-producer for the event, “BodyShots is a favorite event that The Women’s & Gender Studies puts on every year” she added on to that by saying, “It’s a unique event in that it brings students and faculty together in a non-traditional environment in which they can share in a performance experience as equals.” 

  The performance has been held annually at Marshall for years but was cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic. 

The event is sponsored by The Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and has been a recurring event for 13 years, but this year’s theme “Nevertheless, We Persist” was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the ongoing feminist movement. “It has become a feminist rallying cry,” according to the director of The Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Hilary Brewster. 

The event name: Nevertheless, We Persist is a slight twist on a comment made by Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) toward Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) during a 2017 senate meeting, which then became a popular expression used for the feminist movement.  

Each year the theme of the event changes and with that, the type of submissions change as well. “This year we will be featuring dance, spoken word poetry, visual art and more. The pieces all engage with the theme, ‘Nevertheless, We Persist,’ which is especially relevant after the last two years,” said Conley.  

The event is an experience for Marshall University students, staff, and community. “It’s a multimedia performance that deals with issues of gender and the body” according to Conley. 

Performers will range from faculty, students and alumni will all be able to showcase something, and it provides a unique experience for all involved, “it’s not the same as someone presenting an entire lecture or writing a whole play, but rather the one-off nature of the event allows everyone to take risks,” Brewster said.