In this refined and honest solo, Meytal Blanaru searches for a raw place. She asks – how much of who we are comes from within us, and how much is carved by society's norms?
Delving deeper into these questions, she was inspired by stories of feral children, many of whom developed unique ways of moving and expressing themselves while in isolation. This piece is dedicated to Genie, whose remarkable resilience captured the hearts of many. In another life she could have been anything she wanted.
(from Meytal)
This piece grew out of a question that kept coming back to me: How much of who I am really comes from within myself, and how much has been carved and shaped by society's norms? I guess I was asking (and still do) who I am.
The more that I dived into this question, the answer seemed to be pushed further away beyond my reach. I didn't know how to connect to such a place. I doubted everything. Then I approached the topic of wild children (feral children) - children that spent the first few years of their lives with no human contact; either raised by animals or secluded by abusive parents. I thought that those children must have developed themselves FROM themselves. I wondered how they would move, how would they behave. Through this 'filter' I was able to connect to a place inside of me that felt untouched.
This piece is dedicated to Genie - a child who had spent the first 13 years of her life strapped to a potty chair, locked isolated in a room by abusive parents. After her discovery in 1970 she continued to be passed on between different authorities, scientists and social workers. While Genie's story is a heartbreaking tale of abuse, I was deeply inspired by her development of an alternate human physicality. People seemed to be drawn to her. I was too.
