Oh hey. Sorry I am so late in the day with my BLOGGINS but I was watching Broad City at my desk with the door closed. DON'T TELL ANYONE.
Last night I saw BeginAgain by zoe|juniper. This show is part of the Coil Festival and was at BAC. Love me that BAC space, BTW.
So first off- what a contrast to Bridget Everett. Hahah. I've really come to appreciate the diversity of what's available this month with all the shows I've been seeing. These beautiful tiny dancers could probably live inside one of Bridget's dresses for weeks with out being found. But enough about that.
I do love me some dance. I really do. It can be trifling sometimes, but I am always floored by the virtuosity of it. This show was heavy on (as Anne Bogart would say), "Things you can't fake." Which is inherent in the craft and part of what I also love about dance (and circus for that matter). But beyond the technical dance feats, certain design elements of this show really resonated with me: the red dirt on the ground getting kicked up and hanging in the light as the dancers increased their intensity. The subtle smudges of it that clung to their faces and legs even after they moved out of it. The physical intimacy. These aren't effects- it was all there, laid bare. I love that.
And by the way- for all the other elements of the show- a really intricate and lovely paper sculpture by Celeste Cooning, the video work by Juniper Shuey (of the company namesake), sound design and music used to great effect- the most gripping moments of the whole thing for me were when the 2 girls just looked each other in the eyes. There was A LOT going on there. It really took your breath away. I was sitting in the second row and maybe I could see it better than most, but yeah- it was like, "DANCE, DANCE, MUSIC, PROJECTION, ALBINO BOY SINGING IN FRENCH, DANCE, DANCE- oh wait...hello. And then they just look at each other...really beautiful. Really touching...and kind of erotic.
Worth noting as well was a great duet between a dancer and a projection. A great take on "me and my shadow", space and negative space, relationship, etc. It was so simple, but it made you scratch your head for a few minutes, "wait a second...how are they doing that..." and then you just settle into the delightful craft of it.
ALL IN ALL QUITE LOVELY. YAAAYYYYYY.
And just also to note: afterwards I ate 2 hot dogs and got a 30 minute massage at one of those cheapy places on 8th street. Dude. So good. I DID almost throw up the hot dogs about 20 minutes after the massage, but I stand by my decision. 2015: you never had it so good. And then I went to see my boy Ryan Rickenbach play some tunes at Branded Saloon on my way home. How can one man be so handsome and guitar-y and yet not at all annoying? YE GODS ANSWER ME.
TONIGHT I AM GOING TO SEE A ROCK SHOW. I'm going to see Dr. Dog. Eff it theatre! (just for one night) And then I'll be back on Friday with HOPEFULLY Reggie Watts Audio Abramovic, Daniel Fish's A Supposedly Fun Thing..., and Ike At Night. All at UTR. HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTTS.