Devotees

The image of a body with disabilities is transformed into a dance of fetishes in João Paulo Lima’s solo. Accompanied by the original soundtrack by Felipe Giffoni, the performer exposes himself, without embarrassment, in a piece of sound-choreographic sheet music. On stage, the musician and the dancer create an erotic dialogue of looks and movements, sometimes referring to the idea of domination and submission present in the BDSM community.

The audience is also invited to the game and called upon to rethink the taboos and prejudices related to disability and sexuality. The show addresses how devoteeism – sexual attraction to people with disabilities – manifests itself in different ways: from the discovery of desire for someone who is outside the axis of standardization to the understanding of seeing oneself as an instrument of someone’s fantasy.

By placing himself on stage with an erotic ambiance, the artist reaffirms his right to sexuality and desire. The solo started from his understanding, over the years, of the fetish around his image: being an object of desire empowered him as a dissident body that is socially treated as asexual. When watching him dance, other bodies, with disabilities or not, may feel the same.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Conception and Performance: João Paulo Lima;
Direction: Clarissa Costa;
Music: Felipe Giffoni;
Light: Wallace Rios;
Sound and technique: Jad Pereira.