SYNOPSIS

IN A ROOM, WHOSE DOOR MUST REMAIN OPEN, ANNA D. PLAYS (WITH) HERSELF...

In a society that suppresses her sexual desires, Anna D.  the stage seems to be the only possible sanctuary.

 And so she claims

caresses, distorts, disarms, 

shares and exposes it.

TWOTFAM delves into the challenges individuals with disabilities confront regularly, including their sexual agency, autonomy, and social perceptions. Dujardin shines a light on the lack of sexual freedom experienced by disabled individuals. Her unique perspective provides a voice for those whose experiences are often overlooked, and encourages greater understanding and empathy for these complex and multifaceted issues.

'The Works of the Flesh Are Manifest' (TWOTFAM) focuses on the creation of intimacy on stage and the power relations  that it carries forward. The performance departs from Anna D.'s diary entries, illustrations and poetry which will be staged through movement.

TWOTFAM is an invitation to honour one's erotic self through interconnectedness. It is a carnal celebration of movement, music and speech as an antidote to invisibilisation and humiliation. It is a party, but climaxes are neither the goal nor the end of the evening because 'it's my party and I cry or come if I want to...

TWOTFAM is a relaxed performance. It is therefore accessible to everyone who benefits from a flexible atmosphere and proceeds in a caring and relaxed environment where everyone can freely express their emotions without concern. Any vocalisations, gestures or even movements from the audience during the show are accepted and kindly received. A Chill-out space is provided for audience members who may need to take a break.

Who is Anna D.

l have honey blond hair and almond-shaped eyes in the brightest shade of blue imaginable. I don't hear well on my left side, which is why I don't like it when people touch my ears and hair. My lips are neither thick nor thin, but they are distinguished by their sharply defined, angular cupido arch. I have strong shoulders and arms that look particularly good when I hug someone. My hands are elegant, but my skin is rough and dry. In the residential community for adults with special needs where I stay, we work a lot with our hands. Think sewing, gardening, woodworking, cooking, weaving wool....

I have wide hips and muscular legs from all the dancing. I'm not really tall, but certainly not small either. I have special needs, but that's usually not one of the first things I mention when I introduce myself. Sometimes people make me feel like it should be. Some people need to hear this to understand. They need it more than I do. I consider myself a rather timid person, but that disappears when people actually see me or when they see my work.

CREDITS

concept & text: Anna Dujardin, Fanny Vandesande & Bo Alfaro Decreton

performance: Anna Dujardin

voice-over: Gytha Parmentier

choreography & costumes & scenography: Anna Dujardin & Fanny Vandesande

direction & production: Fanny Vandesande

light design: Helmut Van den Meersschaut

audio introduction & on stage introduction: Victoria Hopchet

light technician: Constantin Binard

sound design: Ruben Nachtergaele

music & composer: Kobe Boon

trailer: Brecht Van Vliet

dramaturgy, direction assistance & surtitles: Bo Alfaro Decreton

co-production: KAAP & Kunstencentrum VIERNULVIER

partners: Stad Gent, Platform-K, workspacebrussels & OPEN

with: LaGeste & Aditivzw

photo credits: Storm Calle, Rudy Carlier and Bert Deurinck

thanks to: Joanna Reusse (Collectief Textiel), Josefien Cornette, Nina Reviers (UAntwerpen), Sabiene Hanoulle (UAntwerpen), Tine Theunissen, Inge Blockmans, Sahar Rahimi, Ans Van Gasse & Merel Vercoutere

Dujardin and Vandesande met each other through Platform-K within that context, it became clear that their artistic and conceptual core questions are very much intertwined and started a new research, this from a mutual need to open up the topic of sexual freedom among people with disabilities as a catalyst for the creative process but also on the creation of intimacy on stage with only the context as a connecting force between the creator and spectators, as well as spectators among each other. This also includes addressing the power relations inherent in this constellation. 

PARTICIPATION 

During the making of TWOTFAM, the idea arose to offer a workshop that builds on the themes explored in the work, such as the components of eroticism, sexuality and pleasure, the scope of sexual identity and its fluidity, the delineation and exploration of one's own and others' boundaries...

Through the workshops (one-off or in a series), a collective investigation into desire, intimacy, consent and corporeality is carried out. For this workshop series, Dujardin and Vandesande start from dance and movement but also combine this with a methodology that focuses on activating the sense of touch and tactility to come to an exploration and conscious embodiment of one's own world of touch and gesture. They also deploy illustrations, poetry or diary excerpts, as well as simple objects drawn from the participants' own everyday world. Dujardin and Vandesande illustrate this methodology with authentic material from TWOTFAM. Throughout the initial exploratory conversations and at the pace indicated by the participants, the group will discover the topics to develop and refine their own line of research.

To conclude the workshops, a try-out and/or feedback moment can be organized that, in addition to providing critical enrichment, provides the necessary connection to further deepen and broaden the explores topics, beyond the walls of the dance studio.The workshop is the ideal way for Dujardin and Vandesande to share their expertise with participants in an interactive way, but also to engage in a dialogue as both the makers and participating performers can enrich each other artistically and broaden each other's perspective by connecting bodies, experiences and stories of all kinds.