Ceremony “You Are My Sister”
Hello, Everyone! I invite you to my MA degree project - ceremony “You Are My Sister.” The ceremony is a continuation of the performance “Shame. Initiation,” that premiered on June 17, 2023, at the Riga Performance Festival “Starptelpa.” It was a ritual where I invited people in my "room" to come together as I celebrate the victory over shame. Three years later, at the Stockholm University of the Arts, I have developed an artistic research LipSync*, which seeks to resist the dehumanisation experienced by non-normative bodies. "You Are My Sister" is dedicated to all transgender people who thrive despite fear's limitations. Compassion — listening, recognizing human experience and being kind — is at the heart of my choreographic practice. The ceremony “You Are My Sister” emerges by interacting with personal feminine artefacts, lip-syncing favourite songs, looking at the sky, and doing good to set my spirit free. The dramaturgy of the ceremony is derived from the album “I Am A Bird Now” (2004) by Antony and the Johnsons. Perhaps “You Are My Sister” is a prayer, a diary entry, or the lyrics to a song yet to be written. For sure, the ceremony is a tribute to the women who have been with me since my very first breath – my mother Gunta, my godmother Agita, my aunt Mārīte, and my great-grandmother Alvīne.
P.S. Be aware that each guest will be personally welcomed into the performance space, so please wait outside until my sister invites you to come into my “room.”
Credits
Concept, choreography and dance: Ģirts Dubults
Mentors: Ester Martin Bergsmark and Laima Jaunzema
Costume supervision: Krišjānis Elviks
Lights and technical support: Olle Axén
Image: Niklāvs Kadiķis
Many thanks to Jennifer Lacey, Marie Fahlin, Dakota Comín Cerezo, Dina Saeed Hamida, Jade Stenhuijs, Julia Müllner, Luusi Kateme, Petra Söör, Pierre Piton, Sophie Germanier. I am profoundly grateful for your support and time together.
Program
- 12 May at 17:45
- 13 May at 17:45
- 14 May at 14:45
Duration: 90min (including individual invitations into the space)
Venue: Studio 1 MDT
Bio Ģirts Dubults
Ģirts Dubults (he/she/they) is a choreographer and interdisciplinary artist from Latvia.
Their artistic practice is informed by transgender bodies and spans movement, text and compassion. In addition to contemporary dance, they work with photography, video and personal objects, creating performances where embodied experience, vulnerability, and human presence are important. Ģirts works with communities and engages in collaborative processes, where they invite participants to reflect on themselves and their surroundings.
