“Theater, dance, and play” are some of the words that come to mind when most of us think about performance. In fact, people not only observe the performance of others but also practice their own performance that shapes their identities. Identity performance can be defined as social interactions that contribute to fulfilling a certain role, function, or action. Implementation of social interaction refers to the way individuals act and react to those around themselves and within surrounding circumstances. Performance includes performer and audience that stage a process of acting in a certain way involving visual, auditory and linguistic cues. Performance is illustrated by those who perform a role and appeal to their audience by using body language, seeking validation and authenticity.
We’ve selected 3 texts that represent the sub concepts of performance – video “Stefania”, a clip from the movie “Joker”, and the song “All I need”. All 3 texts relate to and reveal unique insights into the sub concept of performance. The first text – Stefania – illustrates Ukrainian women in military uniform showing extraordinary bravery as they save children from bombed apartments. The video “Stefania”, which was released after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, helps us understand performance through body language, gender and roles. These military women challenge traditional gender stereotypes and convey the idea that gender and roles are performed as a part of authentic identity. Furthermore, identity authenticity is defined as portraying the most genuine parts of someone’s personality. Authentic individuals adhere to their own beliefs and will outwardly display these instead of hiding them away. In the 2019 film Joker produced by Todd Phillips, Arthur Fleck’s authentic self is revealed through his joker persona, who commits murders in order to try and combat the corruption of the rich in Gotham City. Authenticity through our performance identity can express leadership and passion for our beliefs. Authenticity, in turn, comes with validation through performance. In identity validation, an individual may feel pressured to adhere to another person’s standards to meet their expectations. For example, Dylan Sinclair’s song, “All I Need”, expresses this identity by his use of rhetorical lyrics to express a dysfunctional relationship that is fueled by validation. He conveys a real-life example of someone who stays in a toxic relationship because of their need for their partner’s validation. Clearly, all the dimensions of performance including roles, authenticity, validation comprise this sub concept that further relates to the notion of identity.
