Jezebel

Dangerous solo performance questions the female clichés in hip-hop culture.

For her fierce solo JEZEBEL choreographer and dancer Cherish Menzo was inspired by the Video Vixens: provocative female models who appeared in hip-hop videos on MTV in the late ’90s. The Vixens danced in revealing costumes to male-dominated music. But the influence they exercised could be great: often, the Vixens determined the aesthetic of these videos and so the popularity of the artist. They were hyper-sensual and lived by the Ride or Die stereotype, but at the same time were strong and independent.
Jezebel refuses to be defined by others. She navigates the hip-hop cultural landscape, looking for ways to claim her image for herself. Will Jezebel be able to deconstruct the controversial stereotype associated with the black hip-hop honey? How is this video girl redefining herself in 2020?

Cherish Menzo worked with Lisbeth Gruwez and Jan Martens, among others. As a performer she stands out for her powerful, controlled, inescapable physical presence.

With JEZEBEL she won the Amsterdam Fringe and International Bursary award in 2019, and was nominated in the #newyoung selection of the Theaterfestival and for the BNG Bank Theaterprijs 2020.

Vorige Volgende

Credits

concept/choreography/performance Cherish Menzo | lighting design/technical coordination Niels Runderkamp | music Michael Nunes | video Andrea Casetti | costumes Daniel Smedeman | dramaturgy Renée Copraij | advice Berthe Spoelstra, Christian de Yav, Nicole Geertruida | vocal coach Shari Kok-Sey-Tjong | campaign image Tatchatrin Choeychom | production management Bibi Scholten van Aschat | coproduction Frascati Producties | distribution & tourmanagement GRIP & Frascati Productions | with support of Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst | with thanks to Nicole Beutler Projects, Bau Dance & Performance Amsterdam, Centre Chorégraphique Le Château, Benjamin Kahn