For centuries, the social and political concept of gender has been a subject of intense debate, shaping movements and rights across the globe. Based on this pertinent issue, choreographers Chris Leuenberger and Marcel Schwald from Switzerland have embarked on an artistic journey that delves into the concepts of femininity, hyper-femininity and effeminacy through their documentary dance performances.
Their latest piece, EF_FEMININITY – Trio Version, supported by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia,will be showcased across India in Bengaluru, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. In India, where gender identities beyond the binary have a far-reaching history, they got in touch with Shilok Mukkati, Living Smile Vidya and Diya Naidu, — all activists fighting for recognition of their own femininities.
However, what was supposed to be a piece with four performers, will now have appearances of Living Smile Vidya (also known as Smiley) on video projections for the Trio Version’s performance in India.
Ahead of their first show in Bengaluru, we spoke to the team on the idea behind the piece.
Scene from EF_Femininity. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Marchel Schwald spoke on how he and Chris were always fascinated by the ways and gestures attributed to the female gender, “We were inspired by the female figures in our family who we looked up to as role models. Growing up we enjoyed playing with dolls and dressing up as girls. We were eager to make a piece on femininity because there was a lot of influence for us.”
“Since we teamed up with artistes from Bengaluru, coming to this city which has a vibrant queer feminist culture, was a natural step for us,” he added.
Artist Shilok Mukkati shared her experience working on this piece and the ways they liked to convey it to the audience. “We have all faced some levels of gender policing no matter which part of the world you are in. With this piece, we are providing a platform to unlearn and relearn these traditional notions on gender.”
“As artistes, its not all entertainment for us; it is also our responsibility to advocate a lot of social and political issues that we personally go through, and how we can work on it,” she said.
Since the piece originated in Switzerland, artiste Diya Naidu spoke about adapting the play for a larger Indian audience, taking into consideration its diverse socio-cultural context. “We had to change the original piece that we had performed many times before the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure Smiley could join us from Switzerland. Since we are performing in this part of the world, the audience’ experience is important to us. Both Chris and Marcel would route a lot of questions through us, because they did not have the local lens that we posses.”
EF_FEMININITY- Trio Version will be performed in Bengaluru on February 11 and 12, 7 p.m. at Shoonya, Sudhama Nagar, Bengaluru. Entry free.
Published - February 11, 2025 12:11 pm IST
