filed under Activism | Arts | Get Out of the House
Go Watch Dudes in Leotards!
9:49PM ON
05/04/2008
BY
LiteraryTease
Your last chance to see this spring’s festival of dance at Brown Univerity’s Stuart Theatre (Waterman Street) is at 2PM today. Tickets start at $7.
Think you wouldn’t enjoy a freaking dance recital? Think again. Weird doesn’t even begin to describe the 6 dance numbers that make up this event. Strange, like Dr. Suess Meets A Couple of Drunk African Starving kids strange? Better. So Freaking Bizarre, And Yet Beautiful, That It Made My Head Spin? Yeah, that’s about right.
The first number, “Madame Sand,” was inspired by the writer Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupine, whose pen name was George Sand. Picture five petite women in men’s suits, a gorgeous androgynous effect, combined with floating hangers, hip waggling, and seizure-like dance moves.
Next, we have “Beirut at Dawn,” disturbingly beautiful, haunting and sensual all at the same time. I felt like a terrible person, but I spent a lot of time during this number thinking about the sex lives of the dancers. They’re so wonderfully bendy!
“Give Thanks” is a powerful combination of funky disco, salsa beats, and African music meets gospel and blues. You’ll want to dance along.
I’m only a tiny bit embarrassed to admit that Radical Acts of Prayer” brought tears to my face. Personal stories blended with prayer techniques makes for a memorable performance.
I’ll confess that I couldn’t get back the silver leotards in “Ciona,” nor the trippyesque seventies acid music as the soundtrack. Amazing feats of strength, sure, but I’d expect that from a bunch of aliens.
If you’re going to sneak out for a cigarette (or other things) during the show, “Ciona” is the one, but don’t forget to come back for the last act, because “Bloodline” is the best of the bunch. With a crazy wild woman floating in front of twig-sculpted wings, a crazy doctor, a Malaria-singing chorus, some dude with a gas mask mosquito-head, and an MC circa Caberet, top hat and all, holy shit, you’ll be glad you grabbed a toke during the last act.
Okay. I’ll admit it. There was no toking of the ceremonial peace anythings during the show. But after that last number, I felt like I should have. Make sure you don’t make the same mistake. Get out there. Go!
Remember: that’s the Stuart Theatre at Brown on Waterman Street. Show starts at 2PM today for the final performance. Tickets start at $7.
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One Comment on “ Go Watch Dudes in Leotards! ”
May 7th, 2008 at 8:32PM
gobro2010 Says:
i LOVED Ciona, but I guess you would have to know and appreciate Pilobolus to get it- it was a restaging of a piece from the 70’s I guess, so the trippy music seemed to be fitting. The piece itself was definitely the best in the show while “Bloodline” seemed cliched, hectic, and about 30 minutes too long…
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