This research project is now full. It is no longer possible to apply for this research project. It has reached its maximum number of participants.
A workshop for sluts and goblins who wanna get a little messy, in the name of making dances!
With a playful approach this field project explores socialised notions of sexiness, while referencing the concept of the ‘hungry ghost’. In eastern philosophy the hungry ghost represents the insatiable hunger alive in people often associated with craving and addiction. It is represented most popularly by the spirit character ‘no face’ in the Hayao Miyazaki movie Spirited Away and is a focal point in Gabor Maté’s book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. The hungry ghost can also be found in the Gollum/Sméagul character of J.R.R. Tolkein’s novel, The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings.
Stripper Gollum serves as a mutable figure grappling with their feelings of emptiness, longings and the longings others have of them – in order to develop a compassionate humour towards both inner and outer hauntings.
This research asks: Is it possible that we may need to (be gentler with or) move away from fixing ‘broken’ parts of ourselves and instead embrace the inherent complexity of our many selves? If being whole doesn’t mean being consistent or predictable, can we embrace the complexity and diversity of our inner worlds, and recognise that everything is in a state of flux!?
Stripping has roots in many dancing cultures including the ballet, as an exchange between dancer and patron. It is a form of sex work intertwined with complex power dynamics, stigma, secrecy, self-employment, unstable employment, underground economy, the purchasing of pleasure, charm industry and so much more. It’s important to note that this form of indoor sex work sits on a different part of the safety spectrum than outdoor and survival sex work – even if there may be overlap between the two.
This workshop begins with a work-out that draws from Qigong, physiotherapy and wxmb cxre – a practice in breath, voice and movement to warm the body from the inside out. Participants will experience a spine, breath, and voice tuning that extends towards the limbs with a high level of physicality before diving into state-based improvisations.
The research aspect of this workshop plays with the myth of personality and contradiction. We dive deep into this state-based research and turn it into a few repeatable movements before creating a group choreography that playfully dances the hypocrisy of human experience. Be prepared to sweat and travel through time on your somatic journey as we explore different aspects of the self.
Be invites people to be mindful when playing with these movements, encouraging working at the ‘resilient edge of resistance’ – a term named by Chester Mainard, which was formed in the context of erotic massage to describe a touch that isn’t too hard but also isn’t too soft. How can we apply this term as a way of exploring movement?
‘I’m not sure about you, but I imagine it in a way that balances pushing one’s limits while taking care in the social context of a workshop. Take what you need and leave the rest.’ – Be Heintzman Hope
Be Heintzman Hope
