With youth play Waste Me, Cecilia (48) holds up a mirror to adults: ‘We are all trapped in life as consumers’

Choreographer Cecilia Moisio is currently touring with her youth dance production Waste Me, which explores the negative impacts of consumerism on human psychology and social relationships. First premiered at the Oerol festival in 2025 on an actual landfill, the performance features five dancers interacting with a massive pile of discarded items. These materials, including old toys and furniture, serve as both a stage and symbolic cocoons that represent how individuals surround themselves with possessions to avoid confronting the realities of the world. The show utilizes a cartoonish style and repetitive, child-like hoarding behavior to critique society's obsession with material goods.

Moisio aims to challenge audiences, particularly young people growing up in a digital age, to consider how consumer culture affects their empathy and personal connections. Through a satirical catwalk scene that lists high-end luxury brands, the production highlights how people often base their identities on what they own. Ultimately, the performance poses a critical question about whether society is losing the ability to maintain genuine human contact in a world increasingly driven by disposable goods and social media influence.