Nancy Wake (1912鈥2011) was an agent for the Special Operations Executive and the most
wanted woman in France during WWII. She was called the 鈥淲hite Mouse鈥 because she was
the one who always got away.
Photo: National Archives, U.K.
When dancer and 深夜看片 Sarasota-Manatee student Natalia Chersia steps onto the stage as Nancy Wake in , she takes on the life of a history-making woman who was shaped by war, courage and loss. Chersia channels the legendary World War II resistance fighter known as the 鈥淲hite Mouse,鈥 introducing the audience to a highly decorated secret agent for the British Special Operations Executive and a prominent leader in the French Resistance during World War II who became known as the 鈥淲hite Mouse鈥 for her ability to elude capture.
as a resistance fighter is one of little-known stories of seven heroic women who helped the Allies defeat Fascism during WWII told in Women of Resistance, a production that will make its Tampa debut on March 25-26 at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center.
鈥淎nyone who is trying to fight something can relate to this,鈥 Chersia said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it matters.鈥
Created by Sarasota artist , the production blends Chelf鈥檚 art with powerful dance performances to give life to the women who changed the course of the war.
The production began when Chelf was visiting the small town of Montauban in the south of France and discovered a pile of soggy newspapers from the early 20th century in the basement of the house where she was staying. Soon after, she visited a museum in the town dedicated to the French Resistance and was moved by the stories she learned there of the women who were instrumental in pushing back against Nazi occupation. 鈥淚t was just very emotional for me when I learned how important women were to defeating the Nazis,鈥 she said, adding the more she read about the role women played in fighting fascism, the more motivated she was to tell their stories.
Chelf wanted to use the old newspapers in a series art pieces, and put the two experiences together to create the series of seven large scale portraits of the women: actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr; Wake, a guerilla leader; entertainer and spy Josephine Baker; resistance fighter Andree Peel, radio operator Noor Inayat Khan; war photographer Lee Miller and spy Virginia Hall.
A nationally and internationally trained dancer, Chersia had retired from fulltime
ballet training to pursue her studies at 深夜看片 Sarasota-Manatee; the role of Nancy Wake
called her back to the stage.
Photos: Women of Resistance
A British citizen and born in New Zealand, Wake's journey into the resistance was driven by a deep personal conviction formed years before the war. While working as a freelance journalist in the 1930s, she witnessed firsthand the brutality of the Nazi regime during assignments in Berlin and Vienna. When Germany invaded France in 1940, Wake was living in Marseille and chose to stay and fulfill her earlier pledge to fight Nazism. Her first husband, French industrialist Henri Fiocca, was tortured and executed by the Gestapo in 1943 for refusing to reveal her whereabouts.
Natalia Chersia is active in USFSM campus leadership, including directing the directs
the team of Peer Advisor Leaders.Her efforts, which included parachuting into occupied France, led her to become one of the most highly decorated women on the Allied side of WWII. She died in 2011 at the age of 98.
When Chelf returned to Sarasota and completed the artworks honoring the women, she partnered with Sarasota Contemporary Ballet to bring the added dimension of storytelling through dance to the project. That鈥檚 where Chersia comes in as a then-principal dancer at Endedans Contemporary Ballet in Sarasota. Endedans founder Tania Vergara is the choreographer for Women of Resistance. 鈥淰icki was so adamant about the fact that she wanted to get these stories out,鈥 Chersia said. 鈥淚 thought it was such a powerful thing.鈥
For Chersia, who devotedly trained nationally and internationally in ballet until her college years, the production has been an opportunity to return to the stage while continuing to be a leader in the USFSM campus community. She will graduate in May with a bachelor鈥檚 degree and psychology and has been admitted to USF鈥檚 Mental Health Counseling M.A. program. She hopes to work with young athletes and dancers on managing the mental health aspects of their sports and artistic disciplines. Chersia also directs the team of Peer Advisor Leaders on the Sarasota-Manatee campus and has served as a student director on USF鈥檚 Campus Activities Board, an orientation leader and a tutor.
鈥淚 always thought ballet was the career I would pursue,鈥 she said in a recent interview. 鈥淏ut mental health came up in my own journey, and I wanted to understand it more.鈥
Click image to enlarge.That intention drew her immediately to Women of Resistance, a show that invites audiences to reflect on the universal themes of bravery, identity and the cost of resistance.
鈥淭he fact that it was inspired by an artist, and that it was about powerful women, I was already sold,鈥 she said.
As she researched Wake鈥檚 life, the role deepened. Wake was tough, rebellious, unapologetic 鈥 a sharp contrast to the delicate, lyrical roles Chersia had often performed. Onstage, Wake smokes, drinks and moves boldly and unapologetically.
鈥淚鈥檓 not someone who smokes. I don鈥檛 drink that often. I鈥檝e never had roles like that,鈥 Chersia said. 鈥淏ut learning about her story was so inspiring. I wanted to bring her to life.鈥
That process began with reading biographies and transcripts provided by the production鈥檚 creators, but it evolved through movement. 鈥淭he more I danced her, the more I learned,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 was able to channel her personality into the choreography. And every time, I realize something new about her and about myself.鈥
Women of Resistance
In recognition of this powerful and thought-provoking performance, USF World is proud to sponsor a limited number of complimentary tickets for each show, available to USF students, faculty, staff, and USF Network France partners.