2012
Rosewater is a group piece consisting of 6 female dancers in a state of hysteria. The word Hysteria originates from the Greek word for uterus, the organ which was believed not so long ago to have been the source of the disorder that manifested itself exclusively in females. Symptoms of female hysteria included sexual desire, uncontrollable behaviour, irritability, sexually forward behaviour and ‘a tendency to cause trouble for others’. The work approaches hysteria as an outcome of woman’s repressed social roles in a male dominated society. Drawing from memories of real life experiences the work utilises the repetitive movements of islamic prayer postulations to portray the tyranny of patriarchy. The dancers perform the choreography to a point of exhaustion, each at their own pace, almost in unison but never really coming together. This choreographic sequencing pattern was inspired by the sonic effect of the overlapping calls to prayer heard during prayer times in the city.
