NO WOMAN'S LAND

NO 

WOMAN’S LAND

In No Woman's Land I do not attempt to offer solutions that tackle complex, historically entrenched systems of oppression; instead, my desire is to help reveal the nuances in often concealed experiences, and evoke greater discourse among those who are in the position to influence change. All the stories in this work are real.

ROSHANAK JABERI (director and choreographer)

With one more show left, (this evening at 8pm - March 16 - Harbourfront Centre Theatre, Queen's Quay) Roshanak Jaberi has provided three spectacular evenings of distinct and impeccable dance theatre that integrates superb examples of performance art, movement, dance, scenography and visual design. Jerome Delapierre's immersive projections blanket the performing space and the performers in profoundly moving textures and images that simultaneously shroud and punctuate the issues being addressed.The nuance, the subtlety, and the explosive moments of great hardship couple with the overall performance in thrilling and engaging ways.

Roshanak's program note provides a unique and concise perspective on the ways in which art can frequently move beyond resolution based politics regarding specific global trauma, yet not leave possible answers/strategies behind. Layers of aesthetic purpose and urgency reveal a truly beautiful, disturbing, and hauntingly empowering visual landscape that intricately evokes a sense of brutally oppressive circumstances. Jaberi's overall aim underlines dire circumstances visually and textually being struggled with, and commented upon by artists, victims, and spectators who may feel the need to explore ways in which broad cultural/aesthetic forums can lend crucial alliance and support;

Several years ago, my art and politics entered into a union, an organic relationship based on my own need for purpose and desire to understand the world we live in. This led to a tension, causing the two sides to engage in constant negotiation and compromise in an an attempt to satisfy their own expression. Somewhere along the line, I learned to embrace this tension and use it as a catalyst to challenge myself artistically while continuing to speak to the issues that matter to me. The plight of refugees is an issue I feel deeply passionate about...In No Woman's Land I do not attempt to offer solutions that tackle complex, historically entrenched systems of oppression; instead, my desire is to help reveal the nuances in often concealed experiences, and evoke greater discourse among those who are in the position to influence change. All the stories in this work are real.

Roshanak Jaberi - excerpt from program CHOREOGRAPHER'S NOTE

The performers illustrate immense skill, physical agility, and aesthetically gorgeous focus as they grapple with a central stage prop that opens the show with a sense of both cage and boat - the ultimate signifiers in the plight of many refugees who cross geographic and human obstacles that play complex roles in an ongoing struggle to survive. In one sequence, as text covers the stage and the bodies, one is moved to a sense of grief and wonder regarding the ways in which individuals, women in particular, are tossed about in a sea of global turmoil. Peter Benedetti's set and Cheryl Lalonde's costumes stand firm both inside and outside of these beautifully rendered responsive projections, integrating with each other and the overall environment with a kind of bold, graceful, elegant and empowering aesthetic power.

There are too many descriptive words and phrases available to the viewer to describe this event adequately. The sixty minute show creates an amazing landscape, with real stories being told by marginalized women who have lived through devastating circumstances being brought forward with incredibly strong verbal and visual effect by Roshanak Jaberi's Jaberi Dance Theatre.

Ultimately, No Woman's Land displays Roshanak's  political concerns and her artistic vision in a way that reveals, in a heart wrenching series of diverse performance modes "the incredible capacity for human resilience in the face of adversity."

I wanted to create a work that would celebrate the courage and resistance of the women at the heart of these stories, while provoking greater empathy and understanding about the issue. These women have survived great adversity, yet many come out stronger and determined to live a life worth living. As privileged witnesses we need to shift the focus of our discomfort to hearing their difficult stories and appreciating their courage to share them. I feel that it is important for us to challenge our ideas of viewership - ideas that are largely shaped by Eurocentric values - and open ourselves up to different ways of viewing and interpreting art that occurs in other parts of the world. I believe that racialized people, particularly those coming from war and conflict regions, need not downplay their experiences to make it more palatable for the dominant culture to view. 

Roshanak Jaberi

RUNNING AT 
HARBOURFRONT CENTRE THEATRE UNTIL MARCH 16TH