Who are you? Where are you right now, and where do you belong? What is your superpower? Figure it Out! by choreographer Viktorija Ilioska is an exploration of the complex relationship between political and individual identity. This solo performance, structured around 100 questions posed by the performer to herself, unveils the mechanisms of external and self-attribution. The body, as an object/subject to societal projections and role perceptions, becomes the central medium of expression.

Questions such as “Viktorija, what would East and West mean if you were a dog?”, “Viktorija, what happens in the future?”, or “Viktorija, how long do you brush your teeth?” blur the boundaries between questioner and respondent, stage and daily reality. The result is a performance that not only interrogates the performer but also serves as an invitation for the audience to reflect on their own identities and societal roles. In this way, Figure it Out! transcends the personal, touching on the universal questions of humanity.

Biljana Tanurovska-Kjulavkovski describes the piece as a powerful and introspective work. Created through dialogues with Nastya Dzyuban, Ivana Ivković, Filomena Krause, and Elena Risteska, the performance stems from Ilioska’s personal identity conflicts and processes of self-reflection. These internal questions form the soundscape and structure the performance, examining the body as a socially constructed entity shaped by gender and its inherent obligations.

Set against the backdrop of the socio-political and economic conditions in which Ilioska was raised and has lived—marked by the cultural, societal, and gendered norms of her environment—the performance critiques the construction of female identity and the ways in which the body is perceived and projected upon. Ilioska places the body at the center of expression, focusing on its transformation and its relationship to identity within these contextual frameworks.

The performance begins with Ilioska wearing red tights that envelop her entire body, creating an initial sense of constraint and concealment. This second skin symbolizes societal constraints and veils the body’s true form until she sheds it, initiating the transformation into her constructed identity. This act of undressing—both literal and metaphorical—represents the tension between societal expectations and personal authenticity. Through this exposure, she begins to “humanize” the body, revealing the friction between the external projections imposed upon it and her inner reflections.

Through 100 probing, ironic, and sometimes absurd questions, Ilioska crafts a ritual of self-examination that shifts fluidly between humor and discomfort. The questions blur the line between self and other, interviewer and interviewee, performer and audience. Her tone, laced with cynicism, critiques societal norms and the ways in which identity is framed, while inviting viewers to contemplate their roles within these constructs. This interplay not only navigates the limitations and possibilities of the human body but also challenges the audience to confront their perspectives.

Figure it Out! thus extends beyond a singular performance, sparking a dialogue about personal and collective tensions surrounding identity, gender, and autonomy. It turns its gaze onto the audience, suggesting that the answers to questions about the self, society, and the future might be found in their own reflections. Through its feminist lens, the piece interrogates how society constructs, controls, and projects onto female bodies, ultimately questioning the boundaries placed on freedom and expression.