Photo: ROZBARK Theatre materials.
The Bytom Dance and Movement Theatre ROZBARK is pleased to invite everyone to the premiere of Mommy Issues, a theatre and dance piece choreographed for the Bytom-based company by Cecilia Moisio, a Finnish-Dutch choreographer and director. The piece was produced in collaboration with the Institute of Music and Dance as part of the Choreographic Commissions 2016 programme.
Mommy Issues is based on the concept of the Oedipus complex, introduced by psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. This psychoanalytical notion implies a child desires a sexual relationship with a parent of the opposite sex, thus sparking a rivalry with the parent of the same sex as the child. According to the theory, the rivalry stage is vital for the proper development of boys and lays an important foundation for their interactions and relationships in adult life. The Oedipus complex is perceived as the apex of the individual?s drive for success and love.
Cecilia Moisio?s piece touches upon such issues as love, lies, dependence on parents and letting go of the past. The personal experience of performers starring in Mommy Issues act as a starting point for Moisio?s story. The stage is filled with rooms in which male dancers interpret various behaviours, emotions and psychological patterns rooted in their family houses.
The piece features seven ROZBARK Theatre dancers (one woman, six men) who interpret various behaviours, emotions and psychological patterns in men and their relationships with women. The men seek solace, release their sexual tensions and project their aggressions or frustrations on the woman, perpetually looking for maternal acceptance. The sole woman dancer in the ensemble represents different types of women in their lives: mothers, lovers, sisters, rivals.
With Mommy Issues Cecilia Moisio continues her inquiry into psychological patterns within the family structure. She began to work on this issue in 2015 with Mum?s The Word and the dance film SHE/HER, in which she explored the mother-daughter relationship. In Mommy Issues, Moisio will delve into the masculine perspective, examining how each performer deals with the eponymous question in their own life. What are the repercussions of being stuck in a dysfunctional mother-son relationship? How do men express (or repress) their problems? Can they address their fears and their past, or will they hold it all up within? Can a man enjoy a healthy relationship with a women without projecting his relationship with his mother on his partner? Text, movement, acting and voice production will be interconnected within a powerful and emotionally charged performance, intended to encourage the audience to contemplate their own familial relationships and the patterns that inform them.
CECILIA MOISIO (1978) is a Finnish choreographer based in Holland. In 2014, she won the award for the best choreographic revelation at the Dutch Dance Days in Maastricht. She is a laureate of numerous prizes and distinctions, including the BNG Theater maker (2011), the VSCD dance prize (twice) in the best dancer category. Her long-time collaborations include Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel and Ann Van den Broek.
Cecilia Moisio?s works are often inspired by human psychology, in particular the unconscious behavioural patterns resulting from social norms and expectations placed on people. Moisio?s pieces are strongly interdisciplinary, combining song, live music and strong, effort-based dance. Her choreographies are dynamic, raw and expressive, while at the same time retaining a dose of fragility and sensitivity.
Produced in collaboration with the Institute of Music and Dance as part of the Choreographic Commissions 2016 programme.
Tickets: PLN 30 (full price), PLN 20 (reduced).
