Dumisa Lengwati

"For you, I am a chrysanthemum, supernova, urgent star."

 

The point of BARE is to show what form a woman takes when she strips herself of all the labels, connotations, expectations and fears that society has placed on her. However, exposure of oneself without catharsis or closure can be equally as damaging as all these pressures placed on us. Thus, in stripping away, we have also allowed ourselves the opportunity to play with and embody those things that interest us. In essence, we are stripping the canvas and mounting a new one, to see what colours and liberation may come.

 

While you watch, please pay careful attention to the lyrics of the song, 'Blume' by Anita Lane. "If you know my name, don't speak it out  - it holds a power." When we give something a name, we immediately possess a power over how to use it and what it can mean. 'Woman' has been downgraded to denote weak, dependent, fragile, merely something to look at and possess. If we equate this to a flower, we are merely beings with which you can do what you please and manipulate to look as you see fit. That's why the stripping of the petals and the play with them is important - taking what society has forced onto our bodies, and casting it away to define something new and stronger for ourselves.

 

Dance is an expression of the human body with which I am completely fascinated and obsessed. Watch as the dancers begin by conforming and aligning in perfect lines, and then as they slowly begin to deconstruct and break down this perfect form to become fluid, ever-changing, free.