The stage production has, as essential protagonists, the women who for centuries have played a predominant role in the orchard surrounding the city of Murcia and represent a journey to their origins through music, dance and costumes.
For the inspiration of the outfits, I worked by mixing elements from the traditional men’s and women’s traditional costumes, typically from the Spanish festivitie called ‘El Bando de la Huerta’, incorporating menswear elements of the past centuries into women’s outfits. This change of look takes the woman who is oppressed by her heavy costume and oppressed by society to become more empowered by taking off the giant skirt and moving more freely. In the second half of the performance, the roles change. She starts with a more masculine look and then adds a skirt made of ‘fajines’ ( a traditional scarf worn in the men’s traditional costume) and becomes more empowered by making this skirt a symbol of femininity and also a powerful weapon of liberation and something to be proud of. Mixing genders and creating this androgenic mix that brings the beauty of masculine and feminine together in one and gives appreciation to those women who had to work and take care of the family in those times—inspired by the history of traditional costume and provides a contemporary representation always from the appreciation of these garments. The costumes, the music, and the dance are an expression of liberation and power.