Kaya Korabiowska-Dean

The Mermaid Manifesto

a study on women & water

A team of mermaids carry out a series of bodily lab experiments, culminating in an existential exploration and rebellious celebration of young womanhood.

In The Mermaid Manifesto, a group of young mermaids gathers in an empty space, with the goal of turning themselves & each other into human women. Through a series of bodily rituals – ranging from a medical surgery on a Barbie doll, the creation of a period with chocolate blood, a childbirth which keeps repeating itself and a watery catwalk – the performers explore what it means to be a young woman today.

We witness how the mermaids make choices in the moment, lose themselves, and discover new possibilities. At times they meet in a single shared action; at others they move past one another, creating contrasts. The audience is immersed in a collective search which is constantly transforming – at times funny, painful, unsettling, grotesque and deeply intimate.

‘Vrouw-zijn herontdekken in een vervreemdende onderwaterwereld’
– read review on Theaterkrant

The performance was developed by Kaya together with a crew of all-women-identifying dancers, mime performers and singers. The material is based around the makers’ personal experiences, as well as the fairytale The Little Mermaid, and the philosophical concept hydrofeminism. Kaya, who also performs in the work, brings an extra layer to the mermaid myth through her lived experience as a young trans woman.

How can an awareness of water and fluidity help us better understand the relationship between our bodies and our sense of self? What can the little mermaid, who trades her fish tail and voice for human legs, teach us about authenticity and self-construction? And what do these questions mean in a theatre-context, where all attempts at self-expression are ultimately centered around the romantic gaze of the audience?