Mirrors became one of the central pillars in our work, and we used them as though they were another performer, present both on stage and in the rehearsal room. Our first discovery of the mirror’s potential came early in the process during a rehearsal at WAC Arts. After many discussions about liberation and freedom in dance, concepts we all identified with in our own “pleasure hunts” we set ourselves an open improvisation. We played music of all varieties and allowed our bodies to move through the space however we felt.

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During this improvisation, Ariana stumbled across a gap in the curtain leading to the mirrors behind. She began experimenting with her reflection, testing the shapes her body could make and how her movements changed when doubled through the mirror. This small moment opened a new path for us: we realised that the mirror itself could be a collaborator, a gaze to play with, and a surface to fracture or extend the body. Our post-improvisation discussion turned at once to the possibilities, what illusions we could make, what kinds of intimacy and distance might appear through the mirror’s gaze.

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To explore further, we set up a directed improvisation with a cue of songs ranging from soft, gentle music to high-energy beats. We also checked in with each other to confirm boundaries around touch and proximity, ensuring we felt safe before entering this vulnerable space. The improvisation produced striking results. As we watched each other through the mirror, unexpected images of intimacy arose. Rather than just creating visual illusions, we uncovered something deeper, vulnerability. The mirror showed us not only choreographic shapes but also our raw, unguarded selves.

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On a different occasion after this discovery, we decided to push this vulnerability further, so one rehearsal we got one member to of the group to direct and the other to perform back to themselves in the mirror. One moment that brought out a deep reaction of venerability was when Mia directed and Flora was performing in front of the mirror, asking her to focus on individual body parts naming them aloud while she observed herself. This simple but charged exercise pushed her to a deep emotional reaction. The mirror became an emotional trigger, forcing her to confront her reflection rather than perform for it. In that moment, we discovered how exposure could become a radical strategy: the vulnerability of seeing yourself, with the rest of the group watching alongside her, was painful but also transformative.

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This process echoed Shantel Ehrenberg’s concept of the mirror as a “look–feel–look” feedback loop, where vision and kinaesthetic experience constantly feed one another. Ehrenberg notes that mirrors can both sharpen awareness and fracture self-image. For us as a group, they did both. At times, they pulled us into shame and comparison, but they also gave us new tools for connection. And later through our sharing and final performances audience members later reflected on this too. One described feeling like a voyeur watching through the mirrors, while another said catching their own reflection briefly pulled them back into themselves.

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By integrating mirrors into PLEASE, we linked our pleasure-hunt to vulnerability. The mirrors helped us craft imagery that was at once seductive, fractured, and raw. What began as a visual experiment became a foundation for the show’s wider inquiries.