In moderation is a look at the exploration of femininity in a time of vast societal shifts, through the lens of the female gaze. It examines the relationship between free will and femininity, and the unspoken dialogue that inspires, both externally and internally. Set to Plath’s poetry, as well as Schubert’s quiet melody, this work slips between soft and harsh; asking of itself what it means to be feminine, and taking control of your own narrative.
Mushrooms by Sylvia Plath
(audio in beginning):
Nobody sees us,
Stops us, betrays us;
The small grains make room.
Soft fists insist on
Heaving the needles,
The leafy bedding,
Even the paving.
Our hammers, our rams,
Earless and eyeless,
Perfectly voiceless,
Widen the crannies,
Shoulder through holes. We
Diet on water,
On crumbs of shadow,
Bland-mannered, asking
Little or nothing.
So many of us!
So many of us!
We are shelves, we are
Tables, we are meek,
We are edible,
Nudgers and shovers
In spite of ourselves.
What I’ve been interested in lately:
I have found in the past few years that I have become more and more infatuated with my own “gendered” traits. I say “gendered” because they are all constructs; but I feel that it is something that has been weighing on my mind as I have come into more of what people perceive as a feminine body. I suddenly found myself at a crossroads, unable to distinguish what were my own thoughts, and what I felt was being placed on me by Western culture. What about me wanted to embrace my supposedly feminine qualities, and what about that was simply because that is the box I had been put in by the world around me? There are so many layers to femininity, but I gravitated first towards what felt like home to me; movement. Was I allowed to be soft, or was that too predictably feminine? What if soft feels good? Was I allowed to be strong and explosive, or would that seem like too much? Where is the balance? Do I need a balance, or is that just me trying to compromise to make others feel more comfortable? What is my own perception? How has my lens been twisted away from what is natural in my body? Rediscovering what is just Olivia is not easy. I think it is a journey I will be on for my entire movement life; constantly slipping off layers, trying new ones on. Deciding that I don’t need to be just one me. Learning as I open my eyes to who I really am; and never forcing myself to be anything in moderation.
-Olivia
Olivia Passarelli graduated in 2020 from Montclair State University, with a BFA in Dance Performance. She made her choreographic debut in 2019, and has since had her work performed at Alexander Kassar Theater, alongside Martha Graham and Ohad Naharin; along with being selected for ACDA 2020. She had the honor of receiving the Choreographic Excellence Award as part of Montclair’s graduating class. In the past year, her work has been presented at the 20th Anniversary Dumbo Dance Festival, KoDaFe International Dance Film Festival, the Fertile Ground Showcase by Green Space, and Boston Contemporary Dance Festival. Most recently she was awarded 1st Place in Salt Contemporary Dance Company’s Shape Choreography Festival.
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