Avert

This semester of Orchesis was different for me. I am used to the grueling hours of rehearsals, but I was not ready for the emotional ride that this particular performance had. The choreographer, Rodolfo Raphael, is a choreographer that I am very familiar with. I have performed his choreography in the past, as well as had the opportunity to perform with him. It is because of this relationship that I was more invested in our message.

            I have many friends who are openly gay/lesbian, and I have always felt that the way they have been treated was unfair. So when I learned about this “aversion therapy”, it made me angry. Through the creating of the piece, we watched many interviews of people who had been forced through these different kinds of “treatment”. I cannot even tell you how upsetting it is to listen to how badly these people were treated, just because they’re a little bit different.

            In performing this particular piece, I had a part where I was one of those people being forced into treatment. The most intense part of the piece for me is when I tried to travel through the group, and they were all grabbing at me. I felt like all of these hands were someone telling me how to be “right”, trying to control me and force me to be something that I’m not. The frustration and anger that built up inside of me made me feel like punching those hands away and screaming at them to leave me alone. I imagine that’s how these people felt, when going through their therapies. Confused about why they’re bad, scared of what others might do to them and apologetic of who they are.

            This piece made me consider how I connect with those around me, because even though someone may say they’re okay they might not be. Everyone is dealing with his or her own struggles underneath the surface. It makes me so frustrated with how little people truly care about those around them. How can we be okay with the way we are interacting with others? Why do we treat people with such disrespect? Just because someone is different, doesn’t mean we have to change them, we should love our differences. The world would be an incredibly boring place if we were all the same.