Smart Bets: Being Her

You’ve likely heard of Britney Spears, but what about Britney Beers? Leave it to Asheville dance troupe Liquid Sirens and fellow Christine Garvin Dance + Transform performers to tell the story of the young Buncombe County woman and her dreams of finding love and achieving fame. Using narration and movement, Being Her chronicles Ms. Beers’ ups and downs of becoming a woman as empowerment awaits on the other side of her struggles. Guiding her journey is a soundtrack of tunes by her slightly more recognizable counterpart, though the local Britney’s revelations about herself, how the world wants to perceive her and her path to self-improvement seek to transcend the pop music dressing. The shows take place Friday, June 15, and Saturday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. at The Magnetic Theatre. $18. themagnetictheatre.org. Photo courtesy of Christin Garvin

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

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6 thoughts on “Smart Bets: Being Her

  1. jason

    I like when people talk about women empowerment and then they were next to nothing! It’s great. Keep on empowering! I guess showing off scantily clad bodies is empowerment, then more power to you! Please by all means keep fighting the fight!

  2. boatrocker

    Nothing says empowerment like a performance based around the music of a vapid pop star. Sigh.
    In the writer’s own description, the young woman does not feel empowered without a relationship and
    fame. How inspiring to young girls.

    A Nina Simone or P***y Riot soundtrack might lend a bit more authenticity, but hey,
    that’s just me.

    The word empowerment is overused/incorrectly used on this site almost as much as the word
    artisan is to describe overpriced local food.

    • jason

      My favorite is “antique” or “vintage” to describe junk made in the 90’s from China.

    • Veronika

      I think the idea of empowerment is also around empowering each other- so to go ahead and judge and tear down a group’s creative project without having seen it, is just another voice telling women what they should and should not do and silencing their unique voice. A band or song does not determine empowerment, nor does the amount of clothes the performers wear. Personally knowing some of these women to be hardworking advocates for their diverse passions in this community also makes me scoff at the judgement that their choice of clothes or music is not “good enough” or not the “right” way to tell whatever story they want to tell.

      • boatrocker

        I’m sure they’re hard working. I couldn’t dance to save my life.
        I’m sure their message is a positive one.
        I did not comment on the attire.

        But it will be a cold day in hell when I subject these delicate ears to Britney Spears’ music,
        even in an ironic way. That stuff was awful 20 years ago. The same way I wouldn’t attend a
        performance written to raise issues about child abuse/eating disorders etc. if I knew they’d be covering the music of say Toby Keith or that Kpop guy.

        I know, I am a terrible judgy judgy person.

      • jason

        Calm down Veronika. Not everything a women does has to be about empowerment to better the gender.

        Why does that one girl look like shes defecating on the side? Terrible picture, but I’m sure the person who took it is hardworking and advocates for their diverse passion in the community.

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