to start,

The solo performance to start, deals with social and personal questions of normativity, ideal and toxicology in the form of a workout tutorial. The options suggested by a computer voice as to how the piece could begin, deal not only with the challenge of starting with a blank piece of paper, but also with the reality, working conditions and everyday structure of dancers/performers that are to be questioned.

The starting point of this work was to question the toxicity of sexualized and idealized female bodies and its representation in the digital space. In everyday consumption of social media, one can observe how the mainstream understands and defines "femininity" and how one is influenced by normative ideals of beauty. This behavior of imitating something and actively shaping one's own body seemed very familiar to me through dance training.

In this piece, she trains her body, she dances, she speaks, she fails at tasks, she keeps going. Repetition and clichéd dance scenes are constant motives. Until the timer goes off she does my best to complete the task. But here, a touch of irony, provocation and absurdity takes over.

 

I have been shaping my body for years.

You have been shaping my body for years.

 And have been shaping our bodies

and other bodies for ever.

Performance, 30.07.2021 – 01.08.2021 , @Folkwang Universität der Künste
trailer

artist, performer, sound concept

Kati Masami Menze 

special thanks to

Robert Schulz

Yurika Yamamoto 

voice

system voice Ava