Choreographer Cecilia Moisio: scared to death of the 1950s

''You would think: women are emancipated. But people long for the clichés and prejudices about women from the 1950s again. If you dress super-feminine, you get whistled at like a dog. But how should you dress then? What do women mirror? Society demands femininity, being beautiful, verging on the pornographic. But at the same time, women have to be strong like men."

Choreographer and dancer Cecilia Moisio is working on her new performance 'Juxtapose'. With dancer Erin Harty, she is rehearsing in Dansmakers Amsterdam's building on a former port industrial estate. The theme is typical of her work. She always chooses social subjects, which are socially topical.

Her performance 'Hi! My Name Is...' was about how we behave in groups. We are often not honest, showing something different from what we are inside. And 'Masculine' revolved around the question: isn't the man, like the woman, torn apart by societal ideals (money and power) and his hidden vulnerability?

,'Juxtapose' starts with the clichés of the perfect 1950s female image. We tell you in 1950s style how to behave, play sports, dress and so on. We mix a burlesque striptease with baking a cake. During the baking, the clothes come off. We please the audience. They think everything comes off. But we don't."

"Actually, women should still behave according to an ideal imposed by society. But the emphasis is now on the sexy image, especially in media and advertising. It has become difficult: to be a sex symbol and at the same time perform as much as men."

,,Among these demands, you have to look for what you yourself prefer to be. I like to dress super-feminine, especially towards other women, to show that we have something in common. And of course I also do it to be seductive to men."

''But besides that, I have powerful, masculine sides in me. I can do almost anything that men can do. That's a side I also want to express. But then people can't place that. If you really do completely what you want, you run into prejudice. Powerful and tender are mutually exclusive."

,,The second part of 'Juxtapose' brings a turnaround. Here we become ourselves. Erin and I mirror each other. The theme of 'mirror' permeates the whole of life. First you mirror yourself to your mother, later to the demands of society, the media, opinions of others. You choose an image by how you dress, the heels you wear, how you dress up."

The mirror scene is full of intense interaction. ,,When you mirror someone, adopt the same attitude, you start identifying with that person, even if they have a completely different origin. This has been proven by psychological tests. Prejudice gives way to sympathy. I want the audience to sympathise with what goes through us, what it's like to be watched, how you let that shape your opinion of yourself."

,,A common thread in 'Juxtapose' is women's protests, from the burning of bras to the recent SlutWalk marches. I incorporate portrait slogans into the performance. We need to reverse the backlash in women's empowerment, the resurgence of sexism. Ten-year-old girls feel urged to wear high heels and use make-up. And at the same time: you should have the freedom to dress slutty without them immediately touching you."

"In the third part, elements from the beginning return. The clichés, which were beautiful at first, become ugly. Drinking milk, eating well, baking a cake and especially the banana as a loaded symbol: it all becomes ugly, dirty, even pornographic."

'Juxtapose' revolves around a serious theme, full of anger and frustration. But humour is indispensable for Cecilia Moisio. As such, there is plenty of it. "The humour of the beginning plunges into seriousness, but the absurdity remains until the end."

 

Juxtapose, choreography: Cecilia Moisio. 12 - 14 February, Melkweg Theatre, Amsterdam