Feminists Perform Monologues About Their Vaginas
One in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. One billion women violated is a horrific atrocity. One billion women dancing is a beautiful revolution.
One billion rising was the central theme of the night during Dakota State University’s presentation of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. The event was sponsored by the Dakota Feministas and the DSU Office of Diversity Services. Proceeds from the event were donated to the Domestic Violence Network. The Vagina Monologues consisted of a mixture of comedic responses and deeply touching monologues.
The performance provided comic relief intermittently between monologues. It came in the form of 200 women’s responses to questions related to their vagina. One question asked women what their vaginas would wear. It turns out some women’s vaginas want to wear glasses or a leather jacket. Audience members were also informed on the many ridiculous names people have created for women’s vaginas; and even wilder yet was a tour of all the types of moans that different women make. These off the wall topics were seamlessly woven between touching monologues.
The monologues themselves were moving stories that manifested from real emotion. They were stories of women coming to terms with their womanhood. They were stories about women overcoming oppression and violence. Most importantly they were stories about women becoming empowered. Towards the vary end of the program, Shreelina Gosh preformed an intricate dance that summed up everything beautiful The Vagina Monologues had to offer. It was a direct reiteration of the idea that one billion women dancing would be a beautiful revolution.
The Vagina Monologues offered a chance for people to join together against violence. It was an opportunity for women and the men who love them to support the empowerment and liberation of women around the world. Using a combination feminine grace and humor, the monologues sent out a powerful message of love. The women that took part in The Vagina Monologues transcended their everyday roles and became goddesses for a night. It was an intensely beautiful thing to witness, all the different types of people coming together and sharing in this human experience.
I hope you all got a chance to attend or will get a chance to attend one of these events in the future. I highly recommend it!
Featured photo taken by Tiffany Sommer
Nice work, Dillon. Your article makes it sound like it was a thing not to miss.
Dillon:
As one of the members of the Dakota Feministas, I want to thank you for such a positive review. It was an amazing evening for the performers and the audience. What a celebration. We, are hoping “The Vagina Monologues” will be an annual event here at DSU.
Dillon – What a well-written and thoughtful piece! The Vagina Monologues was a wonderful collaborative effort between faculty, staff and students, so it was definitely an honor to be a part of the performance and celebration – Thank you for covering and attending!