BIBI RUKIYA'S RECKLESS DAUGHTER
She bemoans her mother for trapping her in cultural constraints dictated by men…why is she exercising their will?
A new dance-theatre from choreographer Amina Khayyam explores the conditioned patriarchy enforced by women within family structures
Set in contemporary inner-city marginalised new migrant communities, and loosely based on Federico García Lorca's "The House of Bernarda Alba", the story follows Bibi Rukiya, a widow who has confined her three daughters in response to societal pressure to preserve her family’s reputation and secure their marriages. Her daughters react in different ways - one of them, driven by her own aspirations, challenges her mother’s motives and role as a woman.The piece was developed over 18 months through an extensive programme of outreach workshops with women's community groups nationwide. Participants worked with professional artists from the Amina Khayyam Dance Company to examine the roles, responsibilities and sacrifices of mothers and daughters and took part in weekly workshops, rehearsals and final performances. The workshops informed the content of this new piece, so it explores real-life experiences.
Using Kathak’s storytelling form, Amina Khayyam approaches this generational conflict through an exploration of feminism in these communities. “There is a fallacy amongst our communities, deeply rooted in cultural practices, that our women should suffer – licensing the men in their families (husbands, fathers, sons) the power to dictate ‘a way of life’ for them. Since it’s been happening for centuries, it’s become the norm to accept and endure whatever gets thrown at them. In our workshops and Performance Forums I’ve explored Bibi Rukiya as a conflicted figure – seeking empowerment while remaining deeply conditioned by societal norms. In these women-only environments, it was refreshing to see their ability and willingness to challenge and question themselves – a dynamic I’m bringing to the stage” says Artistic Director Amina Khayyam.
With live music featuring cello, tabla & vocal
(Photo credit: Ayesha Begum| Style: Tahmina Begum)
“ That it has been created in the Western dance landscape arguably exposes a complexity to South Asian family dynamics and femininity rarely brought up in mainstream discourse, the work itself culminating into an insightful glimpse of changing times ”
