PELO. PELOS. CABELLOS. MELENA. MATORRAL.
To be who I want to be.
To do what I want to do.
To use what is in front of me.
To use what I want to use.
No to regret.
To work.
To concrete.

I use to be shaved, hair was disgusting to me. The unpleasant feeling of hair from my head falling and passing through my body when I showered. Short time after I decided to let the hair on my head grow, I had to have an operation to remove two cysts that were attached to my ovaries, one of them had hair. The body speaks and we do not always listen. In the cultural society where I grew up, as in many others, hair can signify beauty and it stands for being sexy and seductive – at least the head hair. Body hair on the other hand evokes feelings of disgust and rejection – pubic hair, armpits hair, mustache on women, bad growing hair on men, etc. “Guakala tus pelos, es anti-higienico!” (“Your hair is disgusting, it isn’t hygienic!”), someone I love told me recently, back in Mexico. For now, I am letting my head hair grow as long as I can. Thinking about the other parts of my body, I decide at the moment and follow my desires. Sometimes long, sometimes shaved. Today body hair represents power to me. Hair is a part of our body, it tells our personal story. It is the memory of our culture, our needs, ultimately our identity. What is your story? What kind of relationship do you have with your hair? Do you shave? Is it painful? What does hair mean to you?

In an intimate exploration, Areli Moran examines the significance of hair as a repository of social norms, identity and desire. Why is head hair associated with beauty and seduction in most societies, while body hair is perceived as repulsive? While Moran used to find her own hair disgusting, today a playful curiosity prevails. Between gentleness and electrifying tension, she exposes herself to a relentless confrontation with her own body.

ARELI MORAN studied dance in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Vancouver. 2015 she founded Expectante dance company and 2017 the stage/studio Espacio Expectante, both in Monterrey, Mexico.

[Source: play bill]

TFB Nr. 1416