Theatre philosophy

Outline

1. Topic: Oppression and Discrimination based on gender

2. Outline of Introduction and Overview of Human Identity

   1. Our dance will be about discrimination and oppression based on gender. It will express the gender component of the human identity. We will do this by depicting different discriminatory situations through bodily movements. We will show gender by using the feminine and masculine movements we learned in class, or by leaving the gender ambiguous and up for interpretation. We will also depict gender by impersonating specific people in our lives that identify as a certain gender.  

   2. Information about the history of gender discrimination was found in the article called “Gender Oppression and Discrimination in South Africa”. This history is discussed below in the section “Readings”.

   3. People of a specific gender sometimes face the challenge of being accepted or understood by the general population. Women can be looked down upon because of how they dress, which can include dressing “too revealingly” or “too prudish”. Men can be looked down upon because they are not “manly” enough, which society defines as muscular, strong, and tough. These are just a few examples of the problems that people of different genders may face. It is the goal of our project to showcase these discriminatory behaviors and thoughts and to present them in a dance.

   4. We will use Salome’s Dance of the Seven Veils as inspiration when embodying the female gender. We will also be using the masculine ballet video clip and the masculine and Spanish flamenco style clip for inspiration when depicting the male gender.

   5. Stories we have chosen to tell: We will talk to the Women’s Center on campus to hear their views on gender oppression (specifically of women) and how they deal with it.

3. Theories Pertaining to our Human Identity Component and Dance

   1. Readings:

1. 1. 1. Femininity with a Vengeance: Albright

         1. Loie Fuller produced her own version of Salome myth in 1895 -- for this she was harshly criticized and told was a mistake and wrongly portrayed the femme fatale that everyone knew and loved.

         2. Fuller was discriminated for putting a different spin on the character

         3. Fuller later tried to do this performance again, with the intent for it to be different than the original and made sure critics new this. This second try was a success.

         4. Like Fuller, we will use movements and dances from other performances and put our own individuality on it.

      2. Throwing Like a Girl: Iris Marion Young

         1. Throwing Like a Girl discusses the social impacts of the stereotype of a woman’s body. For example, traditional images of woman are soft and weak but we want to show that gender should not be the factor that determines a dancer’s strength (or lack thereof) on the stage. Women are human and we are going to show our understanding of gender instead of society’s understanding of the stereotypical woman characteristics.

      3. Subversive Bodily Acts: Butler

         1. This reading talks about how gender is performative, but that it is impossible to embody a gender. We will use this in our dance when we “perform” different genders, and we will be able to change what genders we are performing because they are all performative.

      4. Gender Oppression and Discrimination in South Africa: Hutson

         1. This article outlines the history of severe gender discrimination in South Africa. It talks about laws and cultural practices that stop women from having the freedom that their male counterparts do. Examples of this are women not being allowed to own land and the laws and regulations that made working difficult for women. We will use the information and specific examples in this article to create powerful imagery in our dance. This information will also be helpful to us to fully understand the history of gender oppression from the context of a different country.

      5. Music: Titanium / Pavane (Piano/Cello Cover) - David Guetta / Faure - The Piano Guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz4MzJTeL0c

1. Bibliography

Butler, J. (2006). Gender Trouble. New York: Routledge.

Cooper Albright, A. (2013). Engaging Bodies: The politics and poetics of corporeality. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.

Guetta, D., & Faure (2012). Titanium / Pavane (Paino/Cello Cover) [Recorded by T. P. Guys].

Huston, S. (2007). Gender Oppression and Discrimination in South Africa. ESSAI.

Marion Young, I. (1980). Throwing Like a Girl: A Phenomenology of Feminine Body Comportment Motility and Spatiality. Human Studies.