Sunday, December 8, 2013

Extra Credit - Karen Anzoategui's "Ser!"

Upon being able to experience Karen Anzoategui live performance titled, “Ser!” I felt all type of feels. Through the use of soccer, Karen is able to illustrate the way in which borders have played a part in her life, specifically being a mujer that enjoys the sport (defying expected gender roles as she grew up.) Through that, she was able to implement the story of domestic abuse, queerness, gender roles, geographical borders and her intersectionalities overall. Within the play, she used her identity as an Argentinian/American person of color as a border within herself, as well as having to migrate back and forth due to the domestic abuse that occurred within the home.  Another border she had to deal with was being queer, she was able to get through that border by finally coming out to her mother within the show – additionally, by having that scene in which she associates the Argentinian flag to a womyn and the love she hold for the motherland.


In addition the part in which she began erasing the borders between her and the audience was a metaphor to her reaching mestiza consciousness. After all that Karen has undergone, it was finally the time for her to erase those borders that had affected her for too long. A key border within the plot was her desire to play soccer and the fact that her mother saw her as her little girl, stopped her from allowing her to enjoy the sport as much as she wanted to. Within that border, understanding how nationalities and soccer create some sense of divide for opposing teams, but how she was able to see the struggles of many people of color communities and thus use that space as a community building space (something she mentioned during the interview with Professor Alicia Gaspar de Alba) Overall, the show was amazingly written, with very great music, acting and vibes. A show definitely worth watching, showcasing every type of border within ourselves, as well as physically. 

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