Both of these works in progress, “The Guide” and “The Champion” are part of an ongoing series I’m working on reflecting on queerness, femininity, and monsters. The first piece, “The Guide,” was inspired by the Hiroaki Umeda’s Split Flow and Holistic Strata. The repetition highlighted in his movements definitely contributed to the structure of “The Guide.” The piece also asked me to consider control: who has agency? Does the dancing figure or a god figure? “The Guide” grapples with the idea of agency, of consent. “The Champion,” was also inspired by dance, by ID: ENTIDADES from Companhia Urbana de Dança. The tension between bodies allowed me to imagine a fight for power, which allowed me to build on themes I had already begun to explore in “The Guide.” As I continue to see these performances, I’m excited to see how these poems, and their themes, will continue to develop across a longer body of work.
Inspired by ID: ENTIDADES from Companhia Urbana de Dança
She whispered to me:
Tell me about the first time someone told you your body was not your own
Tell me the story of biology
Tell me how the body twists when trying to find itself
Tell me the story of your construction, from the ground up
Tell me about archaeology
Tell me about the malleability of bones
Tell me about the times you’ve been broken
Tell me the melodies you learned to hum and the songs you learned to sing.
Tell me about the first time you learned voices came in all manner of pitches.
Tell me the first time you were talked to like a child, the first time you became aware of it
Tell me what the audience looks like from the center of the arena
Tell me what to do with my hands
Tell me the times you’ve laid down & the times you’ve asked someone to lay down with you
Tell me the ways we’ve been expected to follow
Tell me the secrets of a perfect stitch
Tell me your grandmother’s favorite recipe
Tell me the ways I’ve been challenged to lead
