What really is Liquid Latex? Although often reduced to a group known for nude performance, this characterization does not fully capture what Liquid Latex represents. In 2000, when the show was originally named “Body Art Fashion Show,” it was intended as a one-time event. In its inaugural year, the show received mass attention, transforming it into a long-standing Brandeis tradition. The show was then renamed “Liquid Latex,” and a whole club and board was created to facilitate the production of the show every year since. Since then, Liquid Latex has continued to amass attention not only on Brandeis campus, but from the media, published April 16th 2016 feature article in the New York Times. 

The show features a handful of dancers who transformed their skin into canvases, wearing liquid latex painting. The derogatory myth surrounding this group is that all dancers must, and will be completely naked with the paint. This simply is not true. During an interview with Dalya Sezercan ’28, who performed in the number “Freaks Need Love" of this year’s show she explains that, “the stigma and the myths of liquid latex, I fear, make people not want to do it. You fully choose how modest you want to be and that is a really important aspect. It is your body, and you choose what you want to do with it, and how to treat it.” Over time, the messaging of Liquid Latex has become lost. It was created as a platform to celebrate all bodies of all shapes and sizes. Performers' bodies were painted to highlight the works of art they truly are. To dance “naked,” where in this sense we mean minimally clothed, empowers every individual who participates, instilling a freedom and confidence you can’t get anywhere else. Liquid Latex is not only a performance, but it is a message saying that bodies were meant to be valued and treated with respect. The beauty standards that have been imposed on women's bodies since the dawn of time were made to diminish and demean us. To own your body like that takes an immense amount of confidence, trust and respect for yourself. 

Sezercan’s story exemplifies this message. As a first-year, she had many friends dancing in the showcase and was asked to help paint them. Although she did not dance, she felt the freedom and confidence radiating from every individual who took part in Liquid Latex. By painting her friends, she watched bodies transform into artful masterpieces, watch the run through up close and gain an intimate understanding of what the show stands for. She came back from the night feeling empowered and knew the subsequent year she would dance in it. After struggling with body image issues for years, this process was “genuinely inspiring” for her. 

This year's performance centered around the theme of “Circus,” emceed by Greg Roitbourd ’26 and Trisha Roy ’26. There were seven pieces: “Center of the Ring”, “Freaks Need Love”, “Oh So Quiet”, “Strings, Freaks-How”?, “Feelin’ Hella Good”and “Showgirls”. For each number, the dancers were painted in a unique style to reflect the aura of the piece. Where the dancers in “Freaks Need Love” were painted as different animals, “Strings” was to represent puppeteers, emanating a vintage carnivalesque aesthetic. The finale, “Showgirls” was performed by — Brandeis’ Students of the Caribbean Association. This performance demonstrated technique in dance, and with each dancer's confidence radiating into the audience, Liquid Latex’s message was successfully driven home.