As you like it
research
2023 - 2026
As you like it is a research project that results in different outcomes.
The research began in 2023 during a residency at MOtiVE Brooklyn, New York. Drawn to striptease and exotic dance, Bogaert explored spaces where the female body is objectified, displayed, or exhibited, where sexuality is performed - environments charged with sexual desire and energy - in order to question the politics of sexual consent. In the months following the residency, the inquiry deepened through reading, writing, and movement explorations in the studio, leading to small work-in-progress showings and public conversations.
Nearly two years later, during her residency at TOKAS – Tokyo Arts and Space, Japan, Bogaert zoomed in on the influence of Western perspectives on the female body, nudity, and sexuality within Japanese culture, particularly during the early Meiji era and the (post-)World War II period. Central to this research was visiting striptease theatres, where distinct cultural codes provided fertile ground for reflection. Seeking a practice rooted in a tradition predating Western influence, Bogaert studied Noh theatre. Guided by the idea of the body as a temporary vessel for the soul, she examined the role of breath, its subtle presence in minimal movement, and its ability to bridge the visible and invisible, the sentient and non-sentient.
Her investigation has since expanded to the relationship between the body and dress. Bogaert examines the external gaze and its enduring impact on societal norms, asking: How do we look at bodies, and what does that gaze reveal about ourselves? Where is the threshold between connection and voyeurism, presence and projection? She is currently researching the history of nakedness and the shifting cultural and historical meanings it carries.
As you like it and Grazing (working title) are two projects that in an early research phase were running parallel and thereby actively exchanged knowledge and experiences.
Many thanks to: Lilach Orenstein, Sølvi Katrine Andersen, Tomoko Seto, Daisuke Muto, Ive Stevenheydens, TOKAS team, Saori Izumi, Mai Endo, Natsu Usami, Hino Hiruko, Jennifer Merlyn Scherler, Joakim Aras, Kaoru Ueda, Fu Kuen Tang, Jimmy Ong, Tarlen Handayani
Supported by: Bergen Dansesenter / MOtiVE Brooklyn (USA), PAHN, Charleroi Danse (BE), Vestland Fylkeskommune (NO), Arbeidsstipend (Arts and Culture Norway)
Residencies: Bergen Dansesenter / MOtiVE Brooklyn (USA), Charleroi Danse (BE), TOKAS - Tokyo Arts and Space (JP), Mogus House (ID), Miao Dance (SG)
As you like it participated in Forecast Forum 2025 (DE)
