The 9:30 performance at The Tank on May 8th featured the company cakeface,
and their new work, vice. (with mary kate). Three female dancers, each with a
strong character persona, stand before us in 80’s-styled neon get-ups with a
circular TV screen playing cartoons hanging from above.
They read about vegetarianism, beginning the random conversations and
finishing of each other’s sentences in stylized – sometimes musical – diction
that frequents the rest of their performance. Shoving paper into their mouths
they chew and struggle to keep it in until all three spit it on the floor remarking,
“That was ef-ing disgusting.”
Techno music sparks robotic movements: One hand jabs at their face (as if
trying to feed themselves) followed by hands pulsating out and in towards their
stomachs. Amanda Szeglowski, the most technical dancer, performs a solo of
pop-and-lock movements and suggestive hip circles to a rap song about
vegetarianism, sighing, “k”, when done.
They become “badass” wannabes, putting on sequined shrugs and striking
ridiculously arrogant poses. In unison they perform dance-team-like
choreography with smooth transitions, flashy arm movements, and bouncy hip
shakes. Making a mockery of contemporary fashion trends, they add
checkered scarves and braided hippie headbands to their attire and hinge, with
hands in hair, while dancing and narrating their own shampoo commercial.
As two try to copy one dancer’s routine and they touch their heads and pull their cheeks, the performance culminates abruptly. However, the images of one chugging a beer onstage, repeating questions such as, “What’s an ox-tail?”, and the “eighties meets today” leave us thinking about vanity and society’s blind followers.
J. Thompson
Performing Arts: Dance