Silhouette
Fairfax Station, VA
2021, Senior, Performing Arts
Reflection
An article I read, written by Cristina Maza, talked about how water isn't just a developmental problem but also a gender, class, and race issue. Many people believe that just by building more wells and filters, concerns relating to water will slowly disappear, which isn't the case. The first problem is land ownership. People who can't purchase land, even in more privileged areas in the world, must collect it by their own means. They are, in a way, forced to buy bottled water. My main idea for the choreography is to show how even though many people now acknowledge the problem with clean water in less privileged places, they only see the silhouette of the matter and not those that are hidden in progressive areas. Low-income households are in an unfavorable situation when it comes to clean water; water now needs to be paid to access. To add to this issue, tap water takes a lot of money to purify. The Flint water crisis is an example. The large population of poor African Americans in Flint did not have the proper protection in comparison to other communities. Overall, my main inspiration is the concept of privatizing essential needs. Transnational companies are shutting down resources that do not have an infinite supply. They are draining groundwater from poor communities that are being forced to buy their own bottled water. While creating the dance, I realized how many issues are going around in the world that I do not know of. The concept of privatization was something I had barely any knowledge of before this project. My message for the viewers is that many problems contribute to the social injustice of water. Distinguishing all the difficulties can help more people gain access to essential needs. Water is a lens through which we can see underlying problems with the world, including the consequences of privatization. In the mirror, I see a society that is not fully aware of the consequences of its actions. You need to see beyond what is presented in front of you to truly improve the living conditions of people that are struggling. I believe my main goal after this is to educate decision-makers and my community about the factors large-sale companies play in essential needs and the social injustice behind them.