LOUNGE

As a verb, ‘to lounge’ means to sit or lie down in a relaxed manner. As a noun, ‘a lounge’ signifies a public space for relaxation. Two bodies who identify as women move in a duet through states of active and passive rest. In the performance, they play with the notion of the Invisible Lapdance, which consists of small, almost imperceptible forms of dance that repeatedly blur the gaze between giver and receiver. The comfort of relaxation emerges as an active statement of femininity. As a verb, ‘to lounge’ means to sit or lie down in a relaxed manner. As a noun, ‘a lounge’ signifies a public space where people can relax. ‘Lounge’ is therefore both an action and a place, a space that you can shape, inhabit, and enjoy. This dual nature of rest – of waiting, of moving and being moved – is central in this performance. LOUNGE is a duet for two bodies who identify as women. Together, they move through states of active and passive rest. In doing so, they make use of each other's presence to delve deeper into themselves and the atmosphere. The notion of the Invisible Lap Dance plays a role throughout the piece, consisting of small, quasi-imperceptible dances that make use of the gaze to blur the boundaries between giver and receiver. Leaning on eroticism and forms of togetherness, the comfort of relaxation emerges as an active statement of femininity. Marga Alfeirão (Lisbon, 1994) uses different media to create safe spaces in which intimacy and sexuality can be explored through dance and performance. Strongly influenced by dance genres and sound textures from the African diaspora that have permeated the social fabric of Lisbon, Alfeirão tries to actively lay claim to femininity, through which she creates space for feminine forms of sensuality and forms viewed from a feminine perspective. Lounge (2023) was awarded the [8:tension] Young Choreographers Award. In that same year, she premiered No Biggie Deal, a solo piece about Notorious B.I.G., the rapper from Brooklyn, stemming from the sensationalism and nostalgia that raised the question: was Biggie bisexual? Her first group work, no c o r a ç ã o dela, premiered last December with a team of eight artists, in Sophiensaele, Berlin.