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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2012)
Photo by Horace long KEITH HENNESSy – Hen- nessy’s Turbulence (a dance about the economy) makes its world premier at this year’s TBA. This hybrid of contemporary and improvised dance was instigated by Keith Hennessy who was then joined by a core team of (mostly) queer artists from San Francisco, Paris, Cork, Berlin and three guest artists from Portland. “The primary vehicle of sex and sexuality is the body,” Hennessy says, “That’s true for dance also. When we set out to make a dance about the economy using queer and improvisation as political tac- September 2012 ZvONIMIR DOBORvIC & PERFORATIONS – International curator Zvonimir Dobrovic, founder of Perforacije and Queer Zagreb Festivals in Croatia and Co-Director with André von Ah of Queer New york Interna- tional, has selected an evening of site-specific performance art from some of Croatia’s and Serbia’s most inventive artists. As Flavorpill culture guide has said, “...apparently, a hotbed of activity was fermenting behind the shreds of the Iron Curtain.” But in regard to New york and Portland performances Doborvic says, “Producing the Queer New york festival this June was quite a challenge - mainly because to break that stereotypical (iconic) notion of queer takes a lot of work. To have journalists seri- ously wonder whether a piece of work can be queer if the artist is not LGBT was beyond belief to me - and just proved the point how much work there is to be done to really break the mold of what can even be seen as queer…” And as for sexuality in Perfora- tions, Doborvic has some advice for the more staid dance commu- nity, “Sexuality is a strong drive in creating and I love when I see an artist who is daring to explore their own fantasies. When I see a very clean and sterile piece of work (technically perfected, made to be simply beautiful and not much more), and too often it is the case in US dance, my advice to the artist is to get laid more. It works for some. And if it doesn't - it is still a great advice.” Washington High School SE Stark, Between 12th and 14th Capacity: 550 $15 Members, $20 General All Ages September 10 and 11 8:30-10:30 pm GOB SQUAD – This 1994 founded street performance art group aims to recreate Andy Warhol’s iconic 1965 hipster film, Kitchen. But how do you know you’re being authen- tic, and not a poser, when you weren’t there? As Edie Sedgwick, one of the film’s original stars, said, “I live my part too—only I can’t figure out what my part is in this movie.” Portland State University (PSU): Lincoln Performance Hall 1620 SW Park Capacity: 476 $25 Members, $30 General All Ages September 13 through 15 8:30-10:30 pm Keith ennessy’s Turbulence MIGUEL GUTIERREZ – Whip- smart New york choreographer Miguel Gutierrez begins his performance Heavens What Have I Done, conversing directly with the audience. The rambling comedic monologue gives you an intimate look into his process, his experience, his life, before erupting in a flurry of intricately crafted movements set to music sung by renowned soprano Ceci- lia Bartoli. Washington High School SE Stark, Between 12th and 14th Capacity: 550 $15 Members, $20 General All Ages September 7 through 9 6:30-7:30 pm tics, we immediately confronted the values, injustices, betrayals, exchanges, and gifts in our most basic human relations. Inter- sections and frictions between gender, race and class hierarchies became key ways for collabora- tive study of the financial system’s abstract and intentionally obscure workings. So a dance about the economy is all about sex and se- crets, genders and relations, touch and weight, kiss and slap.” Imago Theatre 17 SE 8th Ave. Capacity: 299 $20 Members, $25 General All Ages September 11 through 14 8:30-9:45 pm Gob Squad BIG ART GROUP – A New york- based experimental performance ensemble founded by Caden Manson and Jemma Nelson in 1999. Portland – The People is part of a larger series of live in- terviews with residents of various cities grouped into a “chorus” and projected to a huge size onto the sides of buildings. It starts with the question of democracy and frames it with the tragic Greek tale of Orestia. What Portland- ers will do with this prompt is anybody’s guess. Washington High School SE Stark, Between 12th and 14th Capacity: 550 $15 Members,$20 General All Ages September 6 through 8 8:30-10 pm Justout.com 33
