On October 14 and 15 Performance Space 122 will present the latest installment of its longest-running ongoing series, “Avant-Garde-Arama” (AGA). AGA is a biannual multidisciplinary mini-festival of short works. Showcasing work from new artists and new works from established artists, “Avant-Garde-Arama” features the best and brightest of downtown performance, dance, theater, music, installation and more. Additionally, P.S. 122 is launching “Avant-Garde-Arama for The Whole Family” on Sunday, October 16 at 3:00pm – PS122’s first multidisciplinary mini-festival of short works almost exclusively by kids and for kids.
This fall Avant-Garde-Arama will be hosted by the song and dance team who brought you The New Wonder Twins – Susan Blackwell, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen and Heidi Blickenstaff – and features a fantastic array of downtown fabulousness spread over two fun-filled nights. Audiences can join in the fun every evening after intermission! Come prepared for “Forty Second Street” during which any audience member can perform anything they want for 40 seconds!!!
Friday, October 14th features the work of Award-winning composer Chris Rael, leader of veteran East Village Indo-pop band Church of Betty, performing two selections from Araby, a song cycle inspired by James Joyce’s Dubliners; dance troupe Dura Mater performing an excerpt from their new work The Bentfootes featuring a live animated short film by noted cartoonist R. Sikoryak; a performance from “the Paris Hilton of Performance Art” Neal Medlyn; Butoh-inspired dance from Leigh Evans; John Roberts (of the band Opti-Grab) performing the comic dance/skit “You’ve Got the Part!” with Gina Varla Vetro; and a musical performance from clubland’s newest sensations Da Lipstyxx!
Saturday October 15 features Nina Mankin’s madcap performance ensemble Kulture Kamp (with Taylor Mac and Rachelle Garniez), queer performance poet Otis Von Darling; conceptual performance artist Andrew Schneider creating live experiments with videotape, dance and dessert; a new dance-theater piece from Kourtney Rutherford entitled “Tiny Parts &Transitions” featuring an international cast of performers crushing Warhol’s idea of fifteen minutes of fame into ten minutes of relentless mark-hitting and nonstop vying for the spotlight; Julia May Jona’ multi-disciplinary company Nellie Tinder performing NEW TRENDS (Nellie Thinks About Motivation); and Kill Rock Stars recording artist Bonfire Madigan.
Both nights will feature an interactive digital playground installation by Jonathan Zalben in P.S. 122’s Classroom Gallery space.
Friday, October 14th
- Chris Rael
- Dura Mater with R. Sikoryak
- Neal Medlyn
- Leigh Evans
- John Roberts with Gina Varla Vetro
- and music by Da Lipstyxx
Saturday October 15
- Kultur Kamp featuring Nina Mankin and Taylor Mac
- Otis Von Darling
- Andrew Schneider
- Kourtney Rutherford
- Nellie Tinder
- and music by Bonfire Madigan
Sunday October 16
- AGA isn’t just for grown-ups
anymore! Check out the brand new series:
AGA FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
October 14, 15
8:00 p.m.
AGA FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Sunday October 16
3:00 p.m.