Theatre / african-american
Preview: IBT15 – Twenty Looks
Or ‘Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at the Judson Church’, to give it its full title. New York choreographer Trajal Harrell presents this dance triptych, which he has toured worldwide to huge acclaim.
Harrell imagines and interprets what might occur if African-American and Latin LGBT vogue ball performers, and the post-modern dancers who met in New York’s Judson Church in 1963, were to meet.
Voguers would gather at ‘vogue balls’ (referenced by Madonna in 1990’s Vogue) in Harlem, using extravagant dance moves originating from the catwalk to compete for prizes for their groups or ‘houses’. The Judson Church dancers, meanwhile, developed a new language of dance which has resonated through modern dance ever since.
Twenty Looks portrays a thrilling meeting between these two dance styles, where minimalism and flamboyance collide to challenge the divisions of race, class and wealth.
Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at the Judson Church has three different performances at Arnolfini: Fri Feb 13 (M – the largest version), Sat 14 Feb (S – solo performance) and Sun 15 Feb (XS – the most intimate version). For more info and to book tickets, visit http://ibt15.co.uk/programme/
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