dance flash and other stuff @ the appeal: 2/2010!!!

yours truly is truly busy this week. i reviewed "beyond the pole," a mockumentary about two british dudes taking their environmental crusade to the north pole yesterday. it has nothing to do with dance; wait, scratch that. there are two scenes at a salsa dancing class! today i previewed "love everywhere," a multi-location dance and theater piece that kicks off at city hall on friday at noon. still to come: two, albeit brief, reviews of sf ballet!

beyond the pole excerpt:

The film opens up with one of the funniest parts: Mark and Brian explaining the why behind hiking, training, and ferrying (no planes here!) to the North Pole. They banter back and forth and finally show off what's under their shirts: more shirts. The tees say, "Don't be impotent. Be important." Ah, boys.

full review is here.

love everywhere excerpt:

Chong Shuch says, "I feel like [Love Everywhere] is just a really special thing. You know, this is the six-year anniversary of when they started issuing the same sex marriage licenses, so this piece is... really joyful and very much a celebration of those marriages, like a Valentine's Day celebration of love in this huge public space where so many people have been married. For Friday, I think it's going to be really fun..., and I hope that the performance will bring to the forefront this whole marriage equality issue without being political about it. I hope we can put some pictures and images out there in the world that bring life to that issue. "

full preview is here.

in addition, i got a chance to see sean dorsey's work at dance mission this week, and i was really blown away. so much so that i wrote to my undergrad's dance, gender studies, and glbt? heads and insisted they host him in some shape, form, or manner.

dance flash @ the appeal: sf ethnic dance festival auditions!

go check out awesome ethnic dance this weekend! bonus points if you try to conduct exit interviews...

This Saturday and Sunday mark the second weekend of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival auditions at the Palace of Fine Arts. Think of it like a local, multicultural version of "So You Think You Can Dance" auditions, minus the hot tamale train.

the full article is at the san francisco appeal.

dance flash @ the appeal: women on the way

This week at the San Francisco Appeal, I focused on the Women on the Way Festival.

It's an empowering celebration of boobs and hoo hahs at the Women on the Way (WOW) Festival, which starts this weekend and continues through the end of the month, and with 19 vastly different performing arts groups (theater, dance, spoken word, comedy, and aerial work), this festival covers a lot of ground. Artistic Director Mary Alice Fry says that Women on the Way tries "to help women break through to a place where they can recognize where their professional careers might be going and make a commitment to themselves."

For the entire advance, go here.

Photo of Sonya Smith & Dancers
by Lydia Daniller

dance flash @ the appeal: KUNST-STOFF's new space and NYE bash

This week at the sf appeal, I've highlighted KUNST-STOFF's new arts space, which kicks off with a NYE open house.

The location may be "amazing," but this is one local who thinks that Adoniou has his work cut out for him. Located just east of the basement-located, florescent light-filled Marshall's, this mid-Market span has gotten loads of attention over a planned revitalization, but currently foot traffic tends to fall off once you hit 5th. Should the area flourish, Adoniou could have a major success on his hands.

For the full article, go here.

dance flash @ the appeal: 2009 holiday dance schtuff, take one

here's an excerpt from holiday dance schtuff, take one at the sf appeal.

"The day after Thanksgiving, you can stand in the 'I'm totally crazy, full, and sleepy' line at Best Buy at 4AM or hot-foot it to the 9AM cardio kickmyass class. Neither, though, may be as enjoyable as taking in ODC/Dance's 23rd season of 'The Velveteen Rabbit,' with its plush animal costumes and contemporary dance. If you're still feeling the after-effects of rum punch and soy nog, don't worry. 'The Velveteen Rabbit is narrated."

the full article is here.

dance flash @ the appeal: the sf hip hop dancefest

(this photo is not doctored! that's the south korean crew last for one posing with secretary of state hillary clinton.)

This week's Dance Flash: the San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest.

An excerpt:

Does an audience need to know their popping from their locking? Definitely not. These shows are meant to expose people to lots of different types of hip hop dance in a friendly environment. About the audience, Rosales says these are "not your everyday dance hip hop watchers... I love doing the show for our company because it's our time to expose ourselves to a new audience and a new demographic, and I think it's great... because it's our chance to really hit the spotlight for a second, you know, and get recognized for something that we've been doing for so long."

And Micaya says, "[Hip hop] is definitely mainstream now. I had a lot of battles, so to speak, when I first started the festival just by using the word hip hop. When I first started, you can imagine, 11 years ago, the first thing that came to people's minds was, "Are there going to be guns?" and negativity, and I was just like, 'Oh my god! You've got to be kidding me! Just come once, and, for the rest of your life, your mind will be altered about what this image of, back in the day, that word used to put in people's minds,' because it's so far from the truth of what artists are doing in the genre."

For the entire preview, go here.

dance flash @ the appeal: not-so-spooky dance

this week at the appeal, i focused on some smaller offerings.

"The word zambaleta means "a spontaneous chaotic street party'" and happens when everyone is actively participating, whether by playing music, singing, or dancing. San Francisco's new community world music and dance school embodies that spirit in both mission and name. Based at 19th Street and Florida in the Mission, Zambaleta, a non-profit, has just opened its doors. Offering a comprehensive program of world music and dance classes, Zambaleta aims to provide a new home for San Francisco's vibrant world music community.

To celebrate the launch of this new space, Zambaleta will be hosting some of the Bay Area's best world music acts, including the Brass Menazeri and the Japonize Elephants, this Saturday night with a giant Halloween Hullabaloo Benefit in Zambaleta's staggeringly massive dance hall. It'll be an exciting night complete with aerial dancers and clowns."

see the entire article here.

docfest @ the appeal: only when i dance

This past weekend, I covered two documentaries at the SF Independent Film Festival's DocFest for the Appeal. Here's a link to my review of "Only When I Dance."

"'Only When I Dance' is a documentary that focuses on two teenagers in Brazil. Living in the favelas of Rio de Janiero, advanced ballet students Irlan and Isabela both train on scholarships at Centro de Dance Rio, located in an affluent part of the city. 'Only When I Dance' follows these two young dancers as they vie for the "next step"--scholarships to world-renowned training grounds--through international competitions.

Irlan is the dancer with the most promise. Naturally gifted, Irlan shows immense dedication, committing to school and ballet classes with the goal of becoming a professional dancer. These days, more boys are enrolling in ballet than 20 years ago, but still, it's not everyday that you see one with bendy feet, long and lean legs, incredible flexibility, and talent with a capital T..."

The entire review can be found here.

dance flash @ the appeal: trolley dances

this week's dance flash: trolley dances

"Picture this: you and your buds, post-40 minute wait at Tartine for the most delicious éclair ever, meet up at Dolores Park, check in with your "tour guide" at the statue of Miguel Hidalgo, and, along with the rest of your group, make your way, via foot and the J, through the Mission, Noe Valley, and Balboa Park, all while stopping along the way to see a wide variety of local dance companies and performers in site-specific works. The cost to you: $2 (your Muni fare)...

But what kind of dance will you see? SF-based Deborah Slater Dance Theater is a sure crowd pleaser, and you've got to feel giddy when watching the SF Merionettes Synchronized Swim Club whirl about in the pool. Former Urban Bush woman Amara Tabor-Smith's Deep Waters Dance Theater doesn't perform in water, but her movement and incorporated text tend to have a liquid feel to them. Knowing Kathleen Hermesdorf, a popular instructor, performer, and choreographer, expect the unexpected (and how can you not? In this video, she gives an interview sitting atop a stove). Also on the bill are Jorge Rodolfo De Hoyos, performance artist and dancer, and Rosamaria Garcia, and Trolley Dances' director Kim Epifano's Sonic Dance Theater.
.."

read more at the appeal.

dance flash @ the appeal: burning dance questions 101

this week's dance flash is up at the appeal, and it's the beginning of a bi-monthly Q&A.

"Q: What's a tutu? And I wear an XXL, so where can I buy a fourfour?

A: Female ballet dancers may wear a tutu, aka a poofy skirt, in ballet performances. There are many different styles and lengths of tutus, but the one that you're probably thinking of is the really, and almost indecently, short one that's designed to show off a female dancer's intricate foot and leg work. Professional tutus (of all sizes) are custom-made, but cheaper ones can be purchased at dancewear stores."

for more, go here.

dance flash @ the appeal: margaret jenkins dance company and who is paco gomes?

this week's dance flash.

"This week, I'm slinging two vastly different events at ya. Why, you ask? Well, I have grand delusions that San Franciscans want to jam-pack their weekends with dance performances galore. Or I think you, Mr. Tall, Blonde, and Cute-in-that-Cuddly-Bear-Sort-of-Way, need a few extra opportunities to impress Ms. Right with your cultural know-how. Either way, let's add some spice to your social calendar..."

folawole's "exposition of the heart"

my preview of folawole's "exposition of the heart" is up at sfappeal.com.

it's all very appealing

quick, stop the presses! wait, do actual presses even exist anymore? by the looks of things, not for dance writing...

in addition to reviews at criticaldance.com, you can now find me at the san francisco appeal. weekly wednesday dance flashes start... now!

b.

Oregon Ballet Theatre Needs Your Help!

SUPPORT OREGON BALLET THEATRE AND KEEP THE ARTS THRIVING IN PORTLAND!

Oregon Ballet Theatre needs to raise $750,000 by June 30 or there's a real possibility that this nationally-acclaimed arts organization will have to shut its doors.

Whether you're a fan of ballet, a supporter of the arts, or a Portland resident, you know how important it is to keep the city's arts and culture alive and thriving. Portland can't afford to lose this institution. The loss would be devastating for the city, even for those who have no interest in ballet. Now is the time to help. There are so many things, both big and small, you can do.

DANCE UNITED Benefit Performance in Support of OBT



1) If you can, write a check or use your credit card to make a contribution. Click here to donate.

2) Buy tickets to the season finale program: RUSH + ROBBINS, featuring Christopher Wheeldon's RUSH and three ballets by American dance icon Jerome Robbins. June 5 - 7 at Keller Auditorium. Call 503.2.BALLET or go online.

3) Buy tickets for DANCE UNITED: A Benefit Performance for Oregon Ballet Theatre, featuring performances by leading dancers from North America's most prestigious dance companies including New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada and many more! One night only - June 12 at 7:30pm. Program details here.
Call 503.2.BALLET or buy online.

4) OBT is organizing an online auction to help raise money. Maybe you have something to donate, or maybe you're in the market to buy.

5) Share the message with your friends, family, or coworkers. Tweet for OBT, donate your Facebook Status, post a MySpace Bulletin or write about us on your Blog! Let everyone know OBT is important to you!

For more reading about the company and the dilemma it currently faces, please check out the links below:

OBT's WEBSITE

THE OREGONIAN ARTICLE 5/28/09

OBT PRESS RELEASE 5/27/09

Pappa Tarahumara @YBCA, 2/19/2009

Pappa Tarahumara
"Ship in a View"
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
February 19, 2009, 8PM


Japan’s Pappa Tarahumara, a dance-theater troupe, sailed about last Thursday in “Ship in a View,” creating bold images of remembrance while using intricate props to transform the stage at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts into an extraordinary, fantastical world.

Directed by founder Kiroshi Koike, “Ship in a View” pushes the abstract and imaginary, with the twelve dancers playing towards their strengths of operatic song, modern dance, gesture, and theater through sections that seemed like a series of fantastical clouds interweaving through dreams. The stage filled with blueish white fog, enveloping the centered wooden post and the audience in a 95-minute trance of swirling images and rocking emotions. And as a tiny ship embarked across the stage, we entered a world of water and motion. Various performers ran around the stage, wailed with heartbreak, and climbed the mast to look out towards the horizon, but “Ship” didn’t feel slapped together; on the contrary, the attention to detail astounded me. Koji Hamai and Ryoichi Isomoto’s simple yet elegant costumes fit well and looked to be made with extreme craft and care; all flattered and enhanced the presentation, especially those in light blue and citron at the conclusion, which, combined with Yukiko Sekine cool lighting design, created a wintery futuristic feel. “Ship” built slowly but surely, like the tortoise versus the hare, towards a grand, climatic finish, featuring twinkling lights hanging from overhead and a metal man with a flat screen face.

Koike’s vision along with the casts’ vast repertoire and choreographic intricacies seamlessly blended into a stunning and riveting event. The evening felt unexpected, but wildly refreshing, and Pappa Tarahumara provided a unique and enjoyable experience.

Photo by Sakae Oguma/Katsui Sato

Japan Dance Now, YBCA, 1/29/2009

Japan Dance Now
featuring Baby Q, Sennichimae Blue Sky Dance Club, and Nibroll
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Thursday, January 29, 2009, 8PM

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, over the past few years, has developed into an innovative arts presenting powerhouse. Not only is most of their season eclectic and forward-thinking, but also the visiting companies continue to challenge audiences’ minds and souls. Thursday night’s presentation of “Japan Dance Now” promised a window into Japan’s modern dance landscape, and it delivered, mixing the slick and the wow with the huh.

Baby Q, led by founder/dancer Yoko Higashino and live electronic musicians including Toshio Kajiwara, gave us an excerpt from the cerebral “E/G – Ego Geometria.” The overarching work looks at the physical and metaphysical aspects of the space-time continuum. In this solo excerpt, Higashino moved across the stage abruptly at first while dressed in clunky heels and draped skin-colored stretchy fabric from the top of her head to her thighs. Without being able to see her facial expressions, the images became shapes without emotion. Early on, Higashino walked decisively amongst different pools of light, yanking her arms and bending as if held about by strings, and partway through, she pulsed from her abdomen, almost as if a giant earthquake was coming while the music grew more insistent with each thumpety thump. Across the back wall, angular and formulaic images popped up, but the projection was best used when showing nightvision-like video images of Higashino, especially as she started to move more towards the metaphysical, shedding her cocoon for a ruby red dress sans face covering. Here, her movements became softer yet more powerful as she carved through space, with a yearning look piercing through her eyes as if to say, “All of this is me. Take what you will.”

Still dynamic yet utterly unassuming was Sennichimae Blue Sky Dance Club, an all-female Butoh-influenced troupe from Osaka who performed an excerpt from “The end of Water,” which is a series of interludes focusing on images and archetypes of femininity. With multiple costumes changes, the sections flowed slowly but well. The company opened with stark white water nymphs who slowly rolled on the ground and transitioned to a lone woman dressed in an obi, slowly walking underneath a low-flying plane. The women then downed brownish separates, crawling in a small circle but then standing up and turning slowly in a circle. I wanted to be mesmerized, but instead thought this is what it would like if the Borg went to prom. The last portion felt the most satisfying. With the five dancers donning traditional white blouses and knee-length skirts, they splayed themselves across wooden chairs and stared in delicate handheld mirrors. Gazing at their own reflections, the women gracefully gaped, frowned, gawked, cried, and smiled while tilting their heads and shoulders at slight yet different angles. The slow, controlled, yet various positions and mannerisms was beautiful to watch, but didn’t create that transcendental experience that I have come to anticipate with most Butoh performances. I’m sure that a devoted evening would provide a greater context, but the thirty-five minutes gave an ample taste of the soft-stepping group and their immense skill.

Nibrol, an artists’ collective that features dancers and multimedia, reflected on everyday movements and activities connected with aggressive behavior through the lens of drinking coffee. In the excerpt from “Coffee,” animation and live-action video played behind the five dancers as they danced, interacted, and argued with each other. With bright colors and fast-paced music, this should have been Japanese pop, but instead Mikuni Yanaihara’s choreographic pacing just felt long and tiring.

So what is dance in Japan like now? It’s diverse, powerful, soft, in your face, chaotic, focused, and/or multifaceted. Take your pick. Right now.

Photo: Sennichimae Blue Sky Dance Club

forward thinking

up to now, this blog has served as a repository for my criticaldance.com reviews. the pros: it's searchable via search engines, while the CD boards aren't. but the cons: dude, it gets boring. like super snore zone. zzzzz.

going forward, i'll try to be more proactive about dance events here in the city. i might falter and stumble or space out and take a long holiday, but anything's worth a try, right?

b.

A Tribute to SF Ballet, Program 6

San Francisco Ballet
Program 6
Featuring:
The National Ballet of Canada, New York City Ballet, and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo
Tuesday, April 1

San Francisco Ballet’s Program 6, billed as an international salute to the company’s 75th anniversary, doesn’t even showcase SF Ballet. Or at least not directly. Three companies have traveled to San Francisco with the goal of honoring SF Ballet, presenting works reminiscent of its rich and varied history while also showcasing their own strengths. Probably unintentionally, the evening also focused on relationships.

Traveling the farthest yet almost making the greatest audience impact, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, hailing from the tiny yet regal country of Monaco, presented the U.S. debut of Jean-Christophe Maillot’s “Altro Canto,” a smorgasbord of shapes, pairings, and dramatic imagery set against a never ending backdrop of rising and falling candles. Haunting baroque music played on as the 20 dancers explored ideas of loneliness and tension of relationships. Gender didn’t appear to be much of an issue at first, but as half of the dancers (male and female) were wearing trendy bubble skirts and the other half are wearing corsets and pants (all designed by Karl Lagerfeld), the androgyny question took on the role of white elephant. Maillot likes a show, and there’s no middle ground here. The choreography focuses on relationships of friends and lovers. Chris Roelandt, Jérôme Marchand, and Ramon Gomes Reis crossed and linked hands, creating a fluid wave motion reminiscent of scenes from “Winged Migration” with their arms, producing a beautiful and tender moment on stage. Later several of the men propelled Bernice Coppieters into the air, and she soared, doing an aerial worm up and over the men below. Coppieters and Reis also had a touching yet anger-filled duet: he trying to figure out just how to let her be while still being with her. It’s something we all wrestle with every day. That idea of self, of who we are alone, and who we are with others. Is there compromise or can we continue on this path, never yielding to anyone but ourselves? There’s a downside, though. Maillot tends to rely on big ideas, repetition and canon, and “Altro Canto” feels recycled after the first few sections. Reduce, reuse, and recycle would have worked wonders here, potentially transforming a barely simmering ballet to boiling. The majority of the audience, though, seemed to enjoy it.

The National Ballet of Canada journeyed south of the border to present Matjash Mrozewski’s “A Delicate Battle.” NBC’s dancers displayed strong technique and commanding stage presence, and “Battle” illustrated this well. With white flakes floating from the rafters, seven dancers (including Brett van Sickle, a former apprentice with SF Ballet), dressed in white dancewear, socks, and shoes, piqued into arabesque, flicked their wrists, and turned on a dime. This was crisp and honest ballet, even without pointe shoes. Alejandra Perez-Gomez, Heather Ogden, and Sonia Rodriguez rushed through the stage in 19th century gowns, and Etienne Lavigne, Patrick Lavoie, and Christopher Body chased them through people and falling pieces of white paper until each woman found herself facing the question of who they were and how they were supported: physically, emotionally, and relationship-wise. Perez-Gomez expressed anger and suppression in her pas de deux with Lavigne; she tensed her shoulders but furrowed her brow, and even with the enormous, billowy skirt and high neck of her dress, nothing could constrict her elegant presence or poise.

New York City Ballet brought George Balanchine’s “Duo Concertant,” a pas de duex of fancy, intrigue, and love. A lovely study of romance, opening night featured Yvonne Borree and Jared Angle being inspired by Anton Delmoni playing the violin and Cameron Grant on the piano. Borree projected innocence and coy well, and as she batted her eyes for the first time, you couldn’t help but not like her. But she didn’t quite measure up to Angle’s stage presence. He just projected a certain calmness that, even in his little sauté entournant (jumps in a circle), made him look much more well at ease up on the Opera House stage.

For the most part, the program worked. Plus, it’s a nice change to see other companies here in San Francisco, which is a rarity because if they visit the Bay Area at all, it’s normally in Berkeley. I just wish the end of the program achieved what the first few portions promised. One of the biggest positives of this program is that it offers the company’s own dancers a short but well deserved performance break while rehearsing for the grueling 10 new repertory pieces that are part of the New Works Festival. So here’s to the company’s past successes and future achievements. Salud!

Ramon Gomes Reis and Bernice Coppieters in Maillot's Altro Canto.
Sonia Rodriguez and Christopher Body in Mrozewski's A Delicate Battle.
Yvonne Borree and Jared Angle in Balanchine's Duo Concertant.

All photos © Erik Tomasson

Company Ea Sola @ YBCA

Company Ea Sola, "Drought and Rain, Vol. 2"
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
February 6, 2008

Generally, the thought of Vietnam might bring to mind hot, flavorful pho; communism; and Lyndon Johnson, but modern dance and performance art probably don’t surface. Company Ea Sola’s “Drought and Rain, Vol.2” may change your mind.

Sola left home country at the end of the Vietnam War and lived in Paris for about a decade, where she explored movement in both formal and informal settings. Focusing on war and the responsibility and effects it has on individuals and a people as a whole, Sola incorporates dance, live music and vocals, projected images and text, and props, creating a multi-dimensional and potent 45 minutes of theater. Her dancers come from the Vietnam Opera Ballet of Hanoi, and while not having strong technique in traditional ballet and modern dance, they moved effectively enough, tiptoeing like a knock-kneed little child early on and, by the end, fully engrossing their entire bodies in Sola’s ideas and concept.

One of the most powerful images came when the dancers presented portraits of those touched by war. A scorching red glow fired down from above, and 16 hands, palms side up, reached out. There’s blood painted on these hands, even if they didn’t cause, participate in, or support war itself; everyone is connected to war. And this is what Sola’s work is ultimately getting at. How do we treat war? How much responsibility do we have for our community’s previous, past, and future actions? And how do we emotionally process this into our own consciousness? Sola says that her choreographic approach is “like an animal. I don’t have a lot thinking, but a lot of feeling.” The eight dancers gesture, shake, pause, and walk. The women’s hair flies naturally as they slide and lunge, looking uniform in their black tops and pants as the men jump about in colorful pants, shirts, and shorts. There’s rarely interaction between their bodies, adding a feeling of solitude, and there’s a definite end game in sight. The laid-back structure may seem muddled in certain moments, but what Sola lacks in choreographic structure and traditional dancemaking, she and her dancers make up for in heart and effort.

Photo © Company Ea Sola

Faustin Linyekula @YBCA

Let the Festivities Begin
Faustin Linyekula/Les Studios Kabako, "Festival of Lies"
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ Forum
November 8, 2007, 8PM

Faustin Linyekula/Les Studios Kabako returned to the Bay Area this week after a two-year hiatus. The company’s previous work, a mainstage performance of "Triptyque Sans Titre," garnered applause and dripping admiration for the choreographer and his dance troupe, and many eagerly awaited their return. As one of several stops on Linyekula’s American tour, last evening provided a very different sensory and imagery experience from the first moments to the last breath. Enclosed within a nightclub-esque setting in Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ Forum, "Festival of Lies" explored history, memory, and identity through text, propaganda, movement, and song.

Reflecting on what they know or think they know, the four performers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Marie-Louise Bibish Mumbu, Papy Ebotani, Djodjo Kazadi, and Linyekula, expressed beliefs and desires of a “fictional” people. The concept of what actually occurred versus what people believe or remember is a powerful thing, and can control a nation or body of individuals to where individuality becomes crushed under the weight of the powerful. Ironically, when Linyekula asked everyone in the audience to stand, we did. He told us to eat, and a line formed at the buffet. He instructed us to buy drinks, and we followed. We, too, follow the leader, even in unassuming situations.

The three dancers, Ebotani, Kazadi, and Linyekula, expertly synthesized movement with emotion, their central bodies often the impetus for the dance with the first step initiating from the heart or the hip. At times they sang over or separately from the taped music or speeches, adding another dimension to the already sensory-filled event, and the passion these men displayed shone through their eyes and bodies like the sun breaking through the clouds early in the morning. Mumbu, with a warm, silky voice and mother-like authority, provided context through image-filled text readings.

A Taste of Africa, a Berkeley Cameroon restaurant, provided delicious food, including jollof rice, ewole (sautéed greens in a creamy sauce), and nsoke (stewed black-eyed peas), and the local band Soukous Connection thumped along with contagious beats and rhythms. At the conclusion of the evening, the audience poured onstage to dance the rest of the night away with the company, breaking the last barriers between performer and observer.

This festival of lies, the exploration of lies, seems telling comparing it to the religious Festival of Lights in both Hinduism and Judaism. In India and Nepal, the Festival of Lights signifies good triumphing over evil, and in Judaism, the lights celebrate religious, cultural, and national freedom. Here in Linyekula’s version, the lies are represented by 3 foot lights: coddled, sung to, held, moved, danced over, shaped, and lit and unlit. Perhaps the recognition of a murky past is also a way to bring light, hope, and direction to the future. A festival indeed.

“Festival of Lies” continues tonight with a regular-length performance and Saturday in festival style from 6PM to midnight.

photo by Agathe Poupeney