Helena Araújo

Femmes at Work

Femmes at work is a collaborative cabaret-like performance by Helena Araújo featuring Claire Lefevre, mirabella paidamwoyo* dziruni, Luis Javier Murillo Zúniga, Veza Fernandez, Mzamo Nondlwana and Enesi M.. It inhabits spaces between dance, performance, stand-up comedy, drag and music. Set in an imaginative femme factory of emotional labour, the work embraces and celebrates queer feminine expressions. The performers wear vibrant, alluring and fluffy clothes to welcome the audience to their workspace. Throughout the performance, they take turns hosting and showcasing individual acts, as well as crafting dances of joy and disobedience together. Their voices are loud and confident, narrating tales of their glitter-infused methods of reshaping and celebrating femininity.

Being femme is glorious and beautiful yet undeniably a form of labour, and it can be an exhausting one. The patriarchal system actively disapproves femininity, labelling it as weak and devaluing its diversity by restricting the range of feminine embodiments. It validates only those who conform to a harsh checklist of rules, requiring individuals to be cisgender, heterosexual, thin, white and able-bodied. Outside these oppressive conditions, femmes also often find themselves criticised, oscillating between judgments of being too feminine or not feminine or queer enough.

The challenges extend beyond what society expects; being femme is not for beginners, everyone! In a culture that values masculine traits, care work, softness and emotional openness – all of which could be found inside of a very cute femme purse – tend to be overlooked and underestimated. Embracing femme culture is an act of bravery and strength!

In Femmes at work, Helena, Claire, Mwoyo, Luis, Veza, Mzamo and Enesi join their collective femme power puff energy to raise awareness, seek validation, and provide support on these matters.

maker and performer: Helena Araujoperformer: Claire Lefevreperformer: mirabella paidamwoyo* dziruniperformer: Veza Fernandezperformer: Mzamo Nondlwanaperformer: Luis Javier Murillo Zúñigaperformer: Enesi M