Ef_femininity

Some see this with a male gaze. Some see this with a female gaze. Some see this with eyes that pray for the day when gender will be no more than a hobby... (…)

Show

Premiere: 5 April 2018, 20.00h, Dampfzentrale Bern (…)

Further Shows: 
7 April 2018, 20.00h, Dampfzentrale Bern
3 June 2018, Théâtre Sévelin 36 Lausanne
15-17 October 2018, "Everybody's Perfect" Queer Film Festival/Théâtre du Grütli Geneva
18.-22 October 2018, 20.00h, Kaserne Basel
15/16/18/20/21 June 2019, Impulse Festival NRW/FFT Düsseldorf
10-14/16-20 July 2019, Sélections Suisse en Avignon/Les Hivernales-CDCN d'Avignon
27/28 March 2020, "Queer Darlings"/Sophiensäle Berlin 
21/22 June 2020, International Theatre Festival Napoli
February 2021, India/Bangladesh-Tour

Synapsis

When they were kids Marcel Schwald and Chris Leuenberger wanted to be girls.  (…)
When they were kids Marcel Schwald and Chris Leuenberger wanted to be girls. Up to this day they are still fascinated by the ways and wiles attributed to the female gender - especially when these behaviors are practiced as a means to self-empowerment and as a political statement.
 
In India, where gender identities beyond the binary, have a far-reaching history, they got in touch with the radio journalist Shilok Mukkati, the performer Living Smile Vidya and the choreographer Diya Naidu - all activists fighting for the recognition of their own femininities. 
 
In EF_FEMININITY they join forces to explore and question femininity, hyper-femininity and effeminacy.
After their production „Kreutzberg“ (2015), dealing among other things with homosexuality in World War II, choreographer Chris Leuenberger and author / theatre director Marcel Schwald once again interweave elements of journalism and choreography for a documentary dance performance.
 

Besetzung / Produktion

Artistic direction: Chris Leuenberger, Marcel Schwald (…)

Performance: Diya Naidu, Living Smile Vidya, Shilok Mukkati, Chris Leuenberger
Assistant: Anna Josepha Fritsch
Costumes: Salome Egger
Music: Thomas Jeker
Outside Eyes: Joshua Muyiwa, Kirtana Kumar, Anne Haug
Light, Technical Direction: Thomas Kohler
Photography: Lukas Acton
Production Management: Sabine Jud
Diffusion: Franziska Schmidt

A Coproduktion of Chris Leuenberger Produktionen and Paraform with Dampfzentrale Bern and Kaserne Basel, supported by Danse et Dramaturgie Residency Program / 1 Shanti Road Studio Gallery Bangalore / Infinite Souls Residencies Bangalore

Residencies at Tanzhaus Zürich, Théâtre de l'Usine Genf, Théâtre Sévelin 36 Lausanne, Dampfzentrale Bern

With the support of Kultur Stadt Bern, SWISSLOS/Kultur Kanton Bern, Fachausschuss Theater & Tanz Basel-Stadt und Baselland, SSA, Südkulturfonds, Burgergemeinde Bern, Migros-Kulturprozent. Thanks to Sandeep TK, Suresh Jayaram, Abdullah Qureshi