project image
John-Elio Reitman
MOON CHARM SCHOOL

first performed on April 25, 2017
Changes, New York, NY
performed once in 2017

SELINA DOROSHENKO

Baltimore, MD
selinadoroshenko@gmail.com
selinadoroshenko.com

MOON CHARM SCHOOL
SELINA DOROSHENKO

I performed “Moon Charm School” as part of a performance event “New Moon Visible 2%,” curated by John-Elio Reitman. The event was hosted at Changes, a fluid, multi-purpose space in New York. Changes was maintained by a large cohort of people, including Lee Maida and Rachel Eulena Williams in 2017. Part clothing shop, part art boutique, part yoga and health center, Changes was a full yet inviting space for the short and sweet time that it existed. John chose three artists (Elynor Fress, Vogli Bonze, and myself) to respond the transient nature of the storefront space as well as the show title. I decided to position myself as Selene Dreme the Moon Goddess, interpreting the goddess of Grecian folklore through a bright, humorous lens and then transitioning the performance to an inner, meditative space. During the first part, I performed in the storefront window. It was pouring rain that evening and passersby would hesitate outside, wondering about the goings-on of the space. It made sense for this part to be more light-hearted, to address the experience of window shopping. During the second half, I moved to the floor where the audience sat on the carpet. I removed my beaming headdress. There, I discussed how we humans are made of 98% water and how we are pulled by the tide. Thus, we have a piece of the moon inside us. I suggested that if we are in a mood, we can focus on the luminosity of the moon within to find joy. I invited the audience to imagine the moon in their mind, at any brightness and fullness they chose. I asked them to look at it, to concentrate on making it visible and clear. At the end of the performance, I brought the inside back out by inviting the audience to join me in howling at the moon, like a wolf. The contrast between visualizing in the mind and vocalizing through the stomach, chest, throat and mouth was striking. The harmony of the howls created a salient vibration.