VISUALIZING THE WOMAN I WANT TO BE IN THE MIRROR

Visualizing the woman I want to become in the mirror is a solo commissioned and danced by Rachel Tess in the frame of her project Flip Side. Flip Side is an ongoing series of ten solos being created with and for dancer Rachel Tess between 2025–2027 by contemporary choreographers based in Sweden and abroad. Commissioned by Tess as a dance anthology, the title refers to the “flip side” or lesser-known “B-side” of a record. The solos can be presented individually or combined as a triptych, and are all crafted to unearth an artistry accrued over a long career in dance. In 2025, Tess invited Frédéric Gies, Sophia Mage, and Ulrich Ruchlinski to create solos, with the only guideline being that she would follow the desires of the choreographers.

“At the origin of Visualizing the woman I want to become in the mirror is a meme, which I randomly gleaned on social media and which became a recurring message in my online communication with Rachel, as a humorous way to channel our anger in the face of situations that upset us. The meme, which gives the title to this solo, depicts a feminine looking, barbie-like doll, looking at herself in the mirror but it is the face of the terrifying queen of the Alien franchise that appears as her reflection. This solo embraces the stigma of the mad, angry woman trope, turning it around with bravura, poetic precision and rigorous composition in the shape of an operatic choreography.” Frédéric Gies

Creation: 2025
Premiere: April 25, 2025 * Knisslinge, Sweden

Choreography: Frédéric Gies
Dance: Rachel Tess

Created on the 25th of April 2025 at MARC in Knislinge.
Presented at Maison de la Danse in Malmö and at Hallen in Farsta.