Alex Deijmann

I am convinced that there are more sides to a man than just the stereotypical “masculinity,” and this issue is a whole subject in itself, disconnected from sexuality and Identity. A man is more than what he is supposed to be: men can be hard and soft, pink and blue, round and prickly, cold and hot, emotional and controlled.

In THE SMACKUP, Alex Deijmann plays with the idea of masculinity. He makes an exposition of it to then subvert it, break it and explore the space between unmanly and masculine behavior as we perceive it. There is a whole spectrum of masculinity. Show wrestling seems to be squirting testosterone every second, proving masculinity is there continuously and ubiquitously, required and encouraged by everyone around it. A celebration of violence, but in fact it is just a show, actors rarely get hurt.

For Alex, this show wrestling is a metaphor for his view of masculinity: it is a show that can escalate with concrete consequences. Toxic masculinity affects both men and women in different ways. Boys are expected to conform. From a young age, they experience societal pressure to “man up” and “grow balls.” The fact that you have to “grow balls” is particularly hostile because it puts your existence as a particular person or gender on the line in the face of social judgment of your behavior, attitude or manners. It has been shown time and again that these very “boys will be boys” ways are destructive, both physically and emotionally, to men, women and even the environment The trauma of social stigmatization due to toxic masculinity has also been shown to lead to higher suicide rates among men and problems they have expressing their emotions.In addition, it is also this macho culture that encourages and justifies violence and abuse as an essential part of masculinity Finally, this measure of masculinity is imposed on anyone who wishes to address “the man” as an equal, regardless of gender.

Alex Deijmann is a Dancer, Choreographer, Improviser, Activist and Social Scientist by training. I want to reconnect dance to our most cherished emotions while expanding the bodies we have created. For Alex, studying only contemporary dance felt incomplete. He learned different hip-hop styles, martial arts and improvisation to sample a new aesthetic and develop his creativity. Alex began with a mission: to become a choreographer who makes meaningful contributions to the field of dance and performance and to society. Alex wants to create dance that is original and unconventional: choreography that is new rather than building on a current or previous trend. Something timeless and at the same time contemporary. He is looking for dance that moves people, in every possible way. Alex wants to make us look inward and reflect In this way he tries to create harmony between what is inside and outside, between the heart and the body.

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