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Captivating stage show sees plus-size women proudly shake their figures – in bid to prove that dancers' bodies come in all shapes and sizes
PUBLISHED: 18:22 EST, 19 January 2015 | UPDATED: 09:06 EST, 20 January 2015
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A new stage show featuring a cast of plus-size performers is challenging society's stereotypical views about what a dancer's body should look like.
Nothing to Lose, a boundary-breaking new Australian production by dance company Force Majeure, shatters the perception that a performer must be slim and taut in order to be beautiful.
The company's artistic director, Kate Champion, teamed up with filmmaker and fat activist Kelli Jean Drinkwater in order to explore and celebrate the movement of bigger bodies in the show, which will premiere at the Sydney Festival on January 21.
Ms Champion said she was inspired to work with a 'full cast of big-bodied dancers' after noticing that her eyes were often drawn to the movements of larger people whenever she was near a dance floor.
Scroll down for video
New ideal: Seven plus-size performers proudly shake and grab their skin in Nothing to Lose, a new dance production premiering at the Sydney Festival in Australia on January 21
Shake it off: Force Majeure's artistic director Kate Champion collaborated with fat activist Kelli Jean Drinkwater to celebrate the movement of bigger bodies for her final show with the dance company
Be different: The show challenges the idea of what a dancer's body is supposed to look like and celebrates the beauty of larger shapes
'I thought why aren't we seeing that on stage more?' she said in a YouTube video for the Sydney Festival.
The choreographer recalled realizing that she 'needed to find someone who lives in the bigger body' in order to move forward with her idea.
She later enlisted Ms Drinkwater to ensure the show wouldn't be voyeuristic or exploitative.
'I had no idea the level of abuse that a lot of [the show's dancers] experience daily and how they have to prepare themselves to go out in public all the time,' Ms Champion said. 'That's quite shocking.'
Ms Champion, who will be ending her term as Artistic Director of Force Majeure following this show, explained that she wanted to strip away all the judgement that people have 'around fat bodies'.
She added that she hopes to create a space where the audience can view the plus-sized dancers in a 'different way and actually just enjoy the physical form moving’.
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'And for sure social media is playing a huge part in that by creating access to communities that encourage each other to critique dominant cultural ideas around fatness.
'It’s like this collective tipping point and I think people, regardless of their size, are sick of feeling pressured by a prescribed standard of ‘physical perfection’, whatever that means.'
She added: 'I believe audiences are eager to see a broader scope of bodies on stage.
'That’s what is so refreshing about Nothing to Lose.'
Bend and snap: The images celebrate the performers' shapes along with their graceful poses
Time for change: 'I believe audiences are eager to see a broader scope of bodies on stage,' Ms Drinkwater explained
Body revolution: Ms Drinkwater believes that the dance show is a sign that society is becoming more understanding about weight and size issues
Nothing to Lose is another example of how body acceptance movements and campaigns have gained popularity over recent years.
Last October, radio producer Whitney Way Thore showcased her amazing dance moves in a series of weight acceptance videos titled A Fat Girl Dancing as a part of her No Body Shame Campaign.
Thore is now starring in her own TLC reality series, My Big Fat Fabulous Life, which premiered on January 13.
And in 2014, a number of women took to social media to share photos of their bikini bodies after plus-size fashion blogger Gabi Gregg posted a picture of herself in a two-piece swimsuit with the hashtag #fatkini.
Miss Gregg has since launched two collections of swimwear for women sizes 10 through 24, with the first selling out within 48 hours.
Read more:
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...s-bodies-come-shapes-sizes.html#ixzz3crihCS6C
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- The Australian dance production, Nothing to Lose, will premiere at the Sydney Festival on January 21
- Dance company Force Majeure's artistic director Kate Champion said she wants to strip away all the judgement that people have 'around fat bodies'
- The choreographer teamed up with fat activist Kelli Jean Drinkwater to create the show, which celebrates the movement of larger figures
PUBLISHED: 18:22 EST, 19 January 2015 | UPDATED: 09:06 EST, 20 January 2015
142
View comments
A new stage show featuring a cast of plus-size performers is challenging society's stereotypical views about what a dancer's body should look like.
Nothing to Lose, a boundary-breaking new Australian production by dance company Force Majeure, shatters the perception that a performer must be slim and taut in order to be beautiful.
The company's artistic director, Kate Champion, teamed up with filmmaker and fat activist Kelli Jean Drinkwater in order to explore and celebrate the movement of bigger bodies in the show, which will premiere at the Sydney Festival on January 21.
Ms Champion said she was inspired to work with a 'full cast of big-bodied dancers' after noticing that her eyes were often drawn to the movements of larger people whenever she was near a dance floor.
Scroll down for video
New ideal: Seven plus-size performers proudly shake and grab their skin in Nothing to Lose, a new dance production premiering at the Sydney Festival in Australia on January 21
Shake it off: Force Majeure's artistic director Kate Champion collaborated with fat activist Kelli Jean Drinkwater to celebrate the movement of bigger bodies for her final show with the dance company
Be different: The show challenges the idea of what a dancer's body is supposed to look like and celebrates the beauty of larger shapes
'I thought why aren't we seeing that on stage more?' she said in a YouTube video for the Sydney Festival.
The choreographer recalled realizing that she 'needed to find someone who lives in the bigger body' in order to move forward with her idea.
She later enlisted Ms Drinkwater to ensure the show wouldn't be voyeuristic or exploitative.
'I had no idea the level of abuse that a lot of [the show's dancers] experience daily and how they have to prepare themselves to go out in public all the time,' Ms Champion said. 'That's quite shocking.'
Ms Champion, who will be ending her term as Artistic Director of Force Majeure following this show, explained that she wanted to strip away all the judgement that people have 'around fat bodies'.
She added that she hopes to create a space where the audience can view the plus-sized dancers in a 'different way and actually just enjoy the physical form moving’.
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Share
Concrete Playground.
'And for sure social media is playing a huge part in that by creating access to communities that encourage each other to critique dominant cultural ideas around fatness.
'It’s like this collective tipping point and I think people, regardless of their size, are sick of feeling pressured by a prescribed standard of ‘physical perfection’, whatever that means.'
She added: 'I believe audiences are eager to see a broader scope of bodies on stage.
'That’s what is so refreshing about Nothing to Lose.'
Bend and snap: The images celebrate the performers' shapes along with their graceful poses
Time for change: 'I believe audiences are eager to see a broader scope of bodies on stage,' Ms Drinkwater explained
Body revolution: Ms Drinkwater believes that the dance show is a sign that society is becoming more understanding about weight and size issues
Nothing to Lose is another example of how body acceptance movements and campaigns have gained popularity over recent years.
Last October, radio producer Whitney Way Thore showcased her amazing dance moves in a series of weight acceptance videos titled A Fat Girl Dancing as a part of her No Body Shame Campaign.
Thore is now starring in her own TLC reality series, My Big Fat Fabulous Life, which premiered on January 13.
And in 2014, a number of women took to social media to share photos of their bikini bodies after plus-size fashion blogger Gabi Gregg posted a picture of herself in a two-piece swimsuit with the hashtag #fatkini.
Miss Gregg has since launched two collections of swimwear for women sizes 10 through 24, with the first selling out within 48 hours.
Read more:
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...s-bodies-come-shapes-sizes.html#ixzz3crihCS6C
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
