VIEWPOINTS – A decade on, AMERICAN REALNESS still delivers elemental commentary on the here and now

Daina Ashbee's "Serpentine", an offering at this year's edition of American Realness.

Daina Ashbee’s “Serpentine”, an offering at this year’s edition of American Realness.

Rounding out the January experimental performing arts festivals is perhaps the boldest and most abstract (and therefore most unpredictable) of them all – American Realness, which in 2019 is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its inception. This go around, I ended up attending six offerings (unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch Miguel Gutierrez’s highly anticipated latest at the Chocolate Factory). All of them were singular, elemental, and often shocking theatrical visions. Although the initial focus of the festival was to present the cutting-edge in contemporary dance, American Realness in recent years has become increasingly multi-disciplinary, instead more broadly focusing on the body vis-à-vis the current world we live in. Also new this season was the geographically more dispersed presentations (historically, the festival exuded a “campus” vibe, with a good chunk of the shows performed at Abrons Arts Center in the Lower East Side). Here are my thoughts on this year’s lineup.

 

THE ART OF LUV (PART 6): AWESOME GROTTO!
Created by Royal Osiris Karaoke Ensemble
Presented by Abrons Arts Center

I’ve been following Royal Osiris Karaoke Ensemble’s “Art of Luv” for a number of years now. The series, now in its sixth “part” at Abrons Arts Center, examines current societal norms – satirically and oh-so-tenderly. The setup (the quirky dissection of a random artifact, a sort of time capsule) and aesthetic (ritualistic 1980s retro vibe) really hasn’t changed since the first installment. It’s as if kind-hearted aliens a long, long time from now turned their benevolent and inquisitive gaze on the human race. “The Art of Luv” would be their impression of us.

 

100% POP | SHABEEN REMIX
Created by nora chipaumire
Presented by JACK

Over at JACK in Brooklyn, I attended a late night showing of 100% Pop | Shabeen Remix. Emceed by the charismatic and outspoken nora chipaumire, the performance was the epitome of a thumping, “underground” party scene. Even if the audience didn’t know quite what to do with the liberating and immersive dance party environment, the energy was palpable and the atmosphere authentic.

 

EVERYTHING IS IMAGINABLE
Created by Jack Ferver
Presented by New York Live Arts

Next up was Jack Ferver’s Everything Is Imaginable, which was presented by New York Live Arts in Chelsea. The two-act evening began with a series of amusing dance solo parodies, featuring some established dancers (including ABT principle dancer James Whiteside). The second act, however, represented a jarring shift in tone and was comprised of a contemplative dance monologue performed by Mr. Ferver himself, in which he somberly reflected on his life as a dancer.

 

FOLK INCEST
Created by Juliana F. May
Presented by Abrons Arts Center

With Juliana F. May’s Folk Incest, I found myself back at the Abrons Arts Center. The hourlong piece was a fantasia of sweeping movement and semi-articulated female rage. Although I admit that I didn’t quite fully grasp the work’s meaning, I was nonetheless mesmerized by the level of rigor and fearless commitment displayed by Ms. May’s charged company of women.

 

SERPENTINE
Daina Ashbee
Presented by La Mama

Continuing on: I caught a late night performance of Daina Ashbee’s solo performance Serpentine on a school night at La Mama in the East Village. Through disciplined repetition and raw, unforgettable imagery, Ms. Ashbee hypnotically and viscerally captured, on an elemental level, the essence of the (very real) struggle of the act of living. The experience continues to haunt me to this day.

 

PAIN THRESHOLD
Created by Perel
Presented by Gibney

Last but not least was Perel’s Pain Threshold, which I caught at Gibney. The piece is a self-professed “queer disabled talk show” concerning the nature of consent and the process of healing hosted by Perel, who was a calming, luminous presence throughout. It was therefore quite the shocker when she launched into her shattering, devastating autobiographical monologue (no spoilers here), which closed the show.

 

 

2019 AMERICAN REALNESS
Various venues
Closed

Categories: Dance, Off-Broadway, Theater

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