Ladylike
Are you a hero? Or feeling a bit chicken?
It’s said that in a fire, the Mother Hen will burn herself to protect and cover her chicks.
Historically, women have often been defined by animal metaphors, usually in a negative light. This piece plays with the terms “chick,” “bird,” and “hen” to explore how women have been stereotyped and boxed in within a patriarchal world.
Ladylike is a reclaiming of the word, a powerful journey following four inspiring humans as they undo and unravel the repressions and binaries of their past to create their own futures.
In this ceremonious “un-dressing,” inspired by the chicken, we combine Hip Hop theatre, breaking, sexually charged Rumba, and Yuka (a sensual Cuban dance between a chicken and a cock) to explore four distinct stories. Like the Mother Hen, we support one another in breaking free from the past and the societal definitions of what it means to be “ladylike.” Our stories, gender and the labels others give us do not have to define us.
This piece explore the themes of gender, gendered abuse, #Metoo, identity, sex, power, fear, love, self-love, sisterhood, transformation, herstory, Orixás, mythology, healing, Shamanism, chickens, breaking, Afro-Cuban dance, circles, and rituals, the four inspiring humans take a fierce, frank, and funny look at gender roles, transforming their deepest fears, pains, and desires.
About the piece:
The choreographers & dancers acknowledge with gratitude that this dance piece is informed by Rumba, Salsa, Afro Cuban, Breaking (breakdance) and Bachata. We acknowledge the painful history of colonialism and enslaved people that has led to the creation of these diasporic dances and commit to honoring and respecting them and their history, also acknowledging all the unrecognised cultural lineages and stories that are untold.
It is said that in a fire, the Mother Hen will protect (and burn) herself to protect and cover her chicks.
Often women historically have been defined as a type of animal (and mostly not in a good way). This piece used the words ‘chick’, ‘bird’, ‘hen’ to explore how women have historically been boxed in and stereotyped in a patriarchal world.
In Cuba, there is a dance called Yuka: a sensual dance between a chicken and cock to make love.
Inspired by the chicken, we use breaking, rumba and Yuka to explore four very different stories and like the Mother Hen, to help one another break free from our past & the definition of what it is to be ‘Ladylike’.
About the journey: Ladylike began its journey at Casa Festival in 2015 and premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 2017. The show has also been performed at Richmix, London (2017),Trinity Centre, Bristol (2018), The Women’s Leadership Conference, New York City, (2018), VAULT Festival London (2018), IETM, Hull (2019), Offbeat Festival, Oxford (2019), Dance City, Newcastle (2019), and was runner up in the Lukas awards for Best Production (2018). The show was most recently performed at Casa Latin American Festival in July 2019.
THEMES: Gender, Gender roles, Stereotypes, Gender Abuse, Me Too, Identity, Sex, Power, Fear, Love, Self Love, Sisterhood, Transformation, Herstory, Orixás, Mythology, Healing, Shamanism, Chickens, Breaking, Afro Cuban, Circles, Rituals
Programme Notes
- Todo nace de la Rumba (Everything is born from Rumba), 2. Women who run with wolves, 3. Little Anna, 4. 50 shades of chicken, 5. The Maverick reigns her roost, 6. My dress is not yes, 7. Guerreras (Warriors)
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