FUSE#2

SCOPE #3
LA MARIPOSA BORRACHA -The process
by Shanice Stanislaus
Even in their mode of movements, hugely similar, there was a certain uninhibited
groove and bounce to the movements. There was a certain aerobic styled structure
to all their popular dances where everyone in the whole village would leave their
homes and come dance out in the school/plaza where the popular songs would
play. From grandmas in Kibera to little children in Battambang, the desire to move
and dance despite having no shoes or some being very ill was extremely present.
While these famous set dances are not carefully choreographed technically, their
movements carried a sense of their soul and ritual which can traced back to tribe
communities in the past which now have evolved into popular culture in slum
environments. No one taught dance there. Dance was raw, it was pleasure. It was
a communal celebration in response to the harsh reality of death and illness.
Photo credit: Shanice Stanislaus
Photo credit: Shanice Stanislaus
This was a philosophy that grounds the choreographic work and
has been key in the genesis of the work and why we still dance
despite illness.
The work continues to redevelop and grow as it has been
evolving since July 2016 and it is set for a restage in 2019. My
hope is to keep researching this work of what it means to be ill
on the deepest and most sincere level. With every community or
individual that has helped to co-create this work, it has
constantly reminded my team and I of what we are constantly
unearthing; the importance to feel this myriad of emotions, the
connection to our own humanity through laughter and play and
the importance to connect, grief and even celebrate with others
especially in the darkest of times.
‘My body is now beginning to be falling apart, but I will do it to the end.’
- Marina Abramovic
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