Magic Maids
Photo by Bernie Ng, courtesy of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
Program Information
| Genre | Dance/Theatre |
|---|---|
| Dates | 25 April at 16:00, 26 April at 16:00, 29 April at 16:00 |
| Venue | BOX Theatre, Shizuoka Performing Arts Park |
| Duration | 80 minutes without intermission |
| Language | In English with Japanese surtitles |
| Seat | Non-reserved seating |
| Concept, Creation, Dramaturgy, Performance | Eisa Jocson, Venuri Perera |
| Production | Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm |
Movie
Coming soon!
Introduction
“Witch” and “Maid” — two stereotypes of women despised yet feared, often exploited and eliminated through the ages. In “Magic Maids”, Filipina Eisa Jocson and Sri Lankan Venuri Perera have been highly acclaimed for the work’s focus on gender, labour and violent nationalism. In this program Jacson and Perera render through dance memories engraved in women’s bodies through listening to and then incorporating real voices from care workers.
Artist’s profile
Eisa Jocson
Eisa Jocson is an interdisciplinary artist based in La Union, Philippines. Trained as a visual artist with a background in ballet, she came to contemporary dance through pole dancing. In her works, she explores body politics in the service and entertainment industry as seen through the socioeconomic lens of the Philippines. She studies how the body moves and what conditions make it move – be it social mobility or movement out of the Philippines through migrant work. In her creations, from ‘Death of the Pole Dancer’ to ‘Macho Dancer’ to ‘Host’ to ‘Princess’ to ‘Superwoman Band’ and ‘Manila Zoo’ – capital is the driving force of movement pushing the indentured body into ‘developed’ geographies. She regularly presents her pieces at renowned theatres and international festivals in Asia and Europe, such as Tanz im August, TPAM Yokohama, Zürcher Theaterspektakel and Frankfurter Positionen. She is a recipient of the 2018 Cultural Centre of the Philippines 13 Artists Award, the Hugo Boss Asia Art Award 2019, the SeMa-HANA Award 2021 and the Tabori Award International 2023.
Venuri Perera
Venuri Perera is an independent artist, curator and educator from Colombo. Exploring the power dynamics of visibility and opacity, she attempts to destabilize and disorient how we perceive the ‘other.’ Her solo and collaborative works deal with violent nationalism, patriarchy, immigration, colonial heritage, class, and have been invited to festivals/symposia across Europe, South and East Asia, Middle East and Africa since 2008. She has closely collaborated with choreographers Geumhyung Jeong (SK) (Theatre Spektakel / Monsoon Australia), Natsuko Tezuka (JP) (Kyoto Experiment / SIFA Singapore). Perera conceived and curated the projects of the Colombo Dance Platform (Goethe-Institut) and is a member of the Dance Panel of the Arts Council in Sri Lanka. A graduate of DAS Theatre, she is currently based between Amsterdam and Colombo.
Cast / Staff
Concept, Creation, Dramaturgy, Performance: Eisa Jocson, Venuri Perera
Sound Design: Soraya Bonaventure
Light Design: Ariana Battaglia
Artistic Advice: Rasa Alksnyte, Tang Fu Kuen
Text Advice: Ruhanie Perera
Spiritual Advice: Nenet Ocson Babaylan-Vaigaland
Creative Presence: Arco Renz
Dramaturgical support: Anna Wagner, Alexandra Hennig
Production Advice: Sandro Lunin
Producer: Katja Armknecht, Anne Kleiner
Production Management: Greta Katharina Klein
Technical Production & Touring: Yap Seok Hui
“Magic Maids” by Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera is a production of Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm, in co-production with Frascati Producties (supported by Ammodo), Tanzquartier Wien, HAU Hebbel am Ufer, SPRING Performing Arts Festival, Festival Theaterformen, DDD – Festival Dias da Dança, Kampnagel, Arsenic – Centre d’art scénique contemporain, La briqueterie CDCN du Val-de-Marne, Points Communs – nouvelle scène nationale Cergy-Pontoise / Val d’Oise, Maillon, Théâtre de Strasbourg – Scène européenne and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Funded as part of the Alliance of International Production Houses by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media and the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Art and Culture.
This project was supported with residences by Kaserne Basel, Puón Institute Philippines, Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka, Dance Nucleus in collaboration with Studio Plesungan as part of ARTEFACT Creative Residency, and Colomboscope Contemporary Art Festival 2024.
Co-organized by The Japan Foundation
Talk
◎Pre-performance talk: Starting 25 minutes before each performance.
Notice
* Admission to auditorium is restricted to children of school age and over.
Enjoy your festival day!
