Review: “Sex Status 2.0”

It seems appropriate that Sex Status 2.0, conceived and directed by Carrie Ahern, takes place in the privacy of an apartment. Inspired by Simone De Beauvoir’s literary opus The Second Sex, this intimate, site-specific dance piece reflects on womanhood at large through the prism of the individual’s experiences. As a part of the creative process, the performers (Carrie Ahern, Carolyn Hall, Kelly Hayes, Donna Costello, Elke Rindfleisch, Jennifer Chin and Anne Parichon) were to “question” their bodies about the relevance of those lived experiences. For the most part they found that despite the significant progress of gender equality since The Second Sex was published in 1949, it still resonates today.

The topic of gender continues even as frivolously dressed ladies, from early 20th century French posters, wink at me from the bathroom walls. I spot a mop in the corner; I have the same one at home. Only mine, instead of cleaning dust, is collecting it. Along with five other audience members out of twenty four, I find cleaning tedious, which is revealed in a survey during the performance. The audience was evenly distributed between men and women, and the performance seems to be created for both. The 20 multiple-choice questions often come in pairs, like “Do you seek validation for cleaning?” and “Do you seek validation for sex?” but it did not feel pointed towards a particular sex.

The opening choreographic sequence also explores parallels between sex and cleaning, two “activities” traditionally attributed to women. Scattered around the room, seven dancers scrub the surfaces with various parts of their bodies, some of them achieving a near orgasmic state, while others bring themselves to complete frustration.The chorus emits moans and monosyllabic exclamations communicating the ramping complex sensations, each performer tangled in her own story.

The questionnaire about cleaning and sex preferences tries to rationalize these experiences. But how telling the data may be remains a question in and of itself. Whether a mockery or a part of Ahern’s continuing research, the survey brings the audience, seated along the perimeter of the room, closer together. After a few shared laughs, the individual bubbles are broken and we feel freer to meet eyes with the performers when their siren gazes call for it or to engage in physical interactions.

At some point I am asked to rub any part of my exposed skin against any part of the exposed skin of one of the performers. Other people around me are prompted to other physical contact  like putting a palm on a performer’s bare neck or her belly. Touch, both observed and experienced, is a big part of Sex Status 2.0. Of all the senses, it grounds us in the moment the most and turns our attention to our own bodies. The soft, enveloping lighting, by Jay Ryan, creates a warm and safe atmosphere for sharing and self-observation regardless of the gender.

The hysterical agony of the “cleaning” opening scene is sharply contrasted with the playful exploration of each other’s physicality in a scene resembling nymphs dancing in the woods. Sex Status 2.0 revises the ways in which women are perceived in Western culture without criticizing or dismissing but layering on top of them instead. Gentle vocalizing by Starr Busby (author of the original music for the piece), has a dialogue with the choreography throughout, highlighting the complexity of the topic.

The performance ends on an enigmatic image of women seated on the floor, their white shirts flipped and buttoned on the back. Like some mythological toads, they swiftly catch invisible objects in the air and plant them in their mouths. Awash with uncanny colored lights (another smart lighting design effect), the performers look alien. Starting as a sociological project, the performance slowly transitions into the poetical and even philosophical plane, culminating in this strong, haunting finale. Beauvoir’s opening question, “Are there even women?”, is especially poignant embodied in the this closing image.  

Ahern plays with the social constructs associated with womanhood but ultimately encourages the audience to turn the attention inwards and ask their bodies to guide them through the journey of gender. Cleaning and sex used to be seen as services that women provide to men. Here they are offered as tools of self-exploration. Cleaning puts the body in close relationship with the space. The mindful physical contact helps to connect to the other and, hence, the self.                  

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Sex Status 2.0 plays in three private apartments in Brooklyn and Manhattan through November 10th. Tickets are $25-$100 (sliding scale). Tickets and more information are available at sexstatus20-borrowedprey.nationbuilder.com.  

[This Review was published on NoProscenium.com on 10.29]