Across cultures, the pregnant woman’s body is celebrated and protected. During pregnancy, a woman transforms into an untouchable archetype. Her curves are an object of admiration and tenderness. At the same time, though, they are hidden, shrouded in mystery. During pregnancy, a woman loses her autonomy and finds herself in a liminal space – straddling the past and future, how the world was until now and what it will soon become.

But what if the pregnant woman is an artist, a dancer, a performer? What if her transforming body is a means of artistic expression? The sharing of this courageous practice offers insights into the creation of Bodies in Progress (Extended), which makes space for pregnant performers. What led them to be part of the project? How do they experience their bodies at this time? How does it influence their creative practice?

And whose body is their body?

The practice sharing will take place in English.

Curatorial team: Martina hajdyla Lacová, Alexandra Cihanská Machová, Lucia Kašiarová, Maja Hriešik, Natálie Rajnišová, Jiří Hajdyla

Production: ME-SA / Adéla Lipavská

Creation and performance: Karolína Maštalířová, Tereza Svobodová, Clara Federica Crescini, Michaela Stará, Lenka Gregarová, Anežka Kalivodová, Tereza Richtrová, Zuzana Sceránková and Ivana Atanasova

Bio
The artistic platform ME-SA has been active on the independent dance scene since 2008. The current work of the platform is characterized by interdisciplinary collaboration (visual arts, sports, music, virtual reality) and an experimental creative approach that includes research into movement material, visual dramaturgy, conceptual strategies or deconstruction of theatrical practices. In recent years, the platform has focused on feminist themes. The main artistic personality and common denominator of all ME-SA projects is choreographer, dancer, performer Martina Hajdyla Lacová. She graduated from the Conservatory in Banská Bystrica and completed her Master's degree in dance pedagogy at the HAMU in Prague, where she is currently studying for her PhD. In her work Martina uses dance as a concept, as a part of communication and interaction, as a natural movement of human bodies. In 2015, she won the Dancer of the Year Award for her performance in SuperNaturals. She was nominated for the 2016 Thalia Award for her performance in the solo show One of the Seven. In 2023 she won the Czech Centres Award for her performance in SOFT SPOT, and in 2024 she won the Thalia Award in the Alternative Theatre category for her performance in Bodies in Progress.