© Raphael Mittendorfer

Boring Motherhood Solo

2023 / Productions

Boring Motherhood Solo deals with the repetitive, tedious, demanding, thankless, solitary nature of being a mother - through dance, text and choreographic installations in space and time. It is Boring Motherhood Solo because it is nothing new or unheard of, therefore, boring. 
And yet, sometimes we just have to do the boring stuff to get through to what’s interesting. It is a journey everyone (parent) goes through, and yet they go through it alone, without anyone ever witnessing the daily-ness of it all. This work is an effort towards putting the mundane and the daily out there to become visible.

 

Synopsis:

Enter a room full of chaos. Make an order. Repeat.

Do the same activity again and again, over and over, until time (the day) comes to an end. 
Put clothes on, take clothes off, repeat.

Feed, poop, clean. Repeat.

Offer your body as food, hope that they accept it the way they should, panic, keep on trying, keep on panicking, go through physical pain. Repeat.

Be a cow. For prolonged periods of time. Accept it, enjoy it.

Try to understand what they mean through the cryptic language of their cry. How loudly, breathlessly, intensely, ridiculously are they crying? What do they mean by that?

Watch what you say. Be a good parent. Don’t say “Shit. Fuck.”

Figure out equipment you never need otherwise. Breastpump, baby toys, Kinderwagen, Fußsack (what?!), winter clothes (what?!), usable diapers, reusable diapers, eco-friendliness, correctness, socialness, self-careness, working-mom-ness, work-life-balanceness…….

The picture should be somewhat visible.

I have been a mother for two years now, an incredible journey standing on the basis of its tedious, dull repetitiveness. Everything about motherhood mainly stands on mindless, repetitive actions that are highly demanding of my mindfulness. 
Being a mother while being a self-employed, freelance artist has been one of the most challenging things I have ever taken up, because they are both essential to my being, while sometimes (often) having conflicting needs. In this very overwhelming time of my life, this solo is my way of “making an order” into this chaos, offering it up for perspectives. 
It is also a resounding acknowledgement in time, space and action of all the parents that go through this grinding process with and without grace. Doing the relentlessly Boring but Quintessential.

Credits

Choreography, performance, stage-design and lights by Nayana Keshava Bhat

Production assistance & sound: Olivia Mitterhuemer

Music: Original soundtrack “Waiting for Siddhartha” by R Chris Dahlgren, “Don’t sweat the technique” by Eric B. & Rakim, and “Sisters of Mercy” by Leonard Cohen

Stage-design technical support: Carla Schwering

Stage-design consultation: Yvonne Schäfer

Duration: 25 minutes

Language: English

 

Produced by INFLUX – Netzwerk für Tanz, Theater und Performance

Technical support by Szene Salzburg, Toihaus Theater

Funded by Stadt Salzburg, Land Salzburg, Bildrecht

Festival cooperation partner: Tanzimpulse Salzburg

 

Special thanks to 

- Natalia Castaneira and Tomaž Simatović, for their invaluable support in the creation of this work.

- Chris Dahlgren for being the other half, for being there.