Kick/Ball/Change
Press>
Kick/Ball/Change a Review 5/09. QPDX.com
>
More Than Jazz Hands. 5/09. Just Out
>
Dance is Back! 1/09 OregonLive.com
Kick/Ball/Change: A Review
May 14th, 2009. by Perry Winkle www.QPDX.com Kick,
Ball, Change. A PDX dance showcase. I had no idea what to expect
(except dancing) but this being a
PantsOff production, I knew it had to be good.
And I was not disappointed. Kick / Ball / Change is not a queer
event per se, but it’s anti-authoritarian, DIY, gender-blurring, pop
culture-referring, ruckus attitude has all the appeal of Portland’s
best queer events – it’s clear that organizers Jodi Bon Jodi and Max
Voltage’s many years of organizing and performing queer events are
indelible from both their passion and their art.
Untrained, I
Dance Company
Kick / Ball / Change is not only a dance move – in this context
it
is a solo piece, an ensembled cavalcade of glitter and glam, a chicken
vs. fox dance of seduction, a legitimization of cat based art, a
threesome, forceful, punchy hip hop moves, a group of friends, a
masquerade, classical training, DIY attitude, experience and
neophytism. Kick / Ball / Change features artists from a diverse range
of dance, each bringing their own style and vision to the stage. Our
journey was guided by Sossity Chiricuzio,
whose wit, honesty and accessibility gave real warmth to the show,
establishing a firm connection between both performers and audience.
Starting
off this last KBC was Untrained, I, a company that
encourages untrained dancers to get involved in dance, thus making
dance accessible. Their changing performances were energetic,
innovative and varied, moving from a trio to radtastic hip hop to
jumpsuits to tutus on milk crates. They never did anything “expected”,
and thus set the bar for the entire show. Katrina O’Brien
from KO&CO. wowed us with a solo piece that involved big boots, big
gestures, big stares, and lots throwing herself around-and confronting
the audience at the edge of the stage by forcing them to look at her up
close. Unseen Hip
Hop’s perfectly choreographed hip hop moves had me wowed, despite
being the “straightest” performance on stage. Beefcake
Burlesque served up a unique slice of boylesque, while Kaj-Anne
Pepper abstracted, in a mass of exploding glitter, bowie-esque
fever dreams, and pop music. Cattitude
stole the show, however, with their rompingly rollicking fun that
featured moments of “can you really believe we’re watching this?” and
sheer audience pleasing madness wrapped up in a big furball of glitter,
glam and gusto.
What a show. Kick / Ball / Change delivered perfectly, just as
the
name says – a kick in the balls and a change in direction of what a
dance showcase should and could be. I know any dance performance I will
ever see has to live up to Kick / Ball / Change: For its uniqueness,
its power, its diversity, its unabashed pursuit of vision, and its
glory. The next (and final) Kick / Ball / Change will return to the
Someday
Lounge on Sunday, August 9th. Tix $10 in advance (so cheap!) at Brownpapertickets
(on sale soon!), $12 at the door. Still a steal. You would be well
advised not to miss it.
Photos:
Kick/Ball/Change: Untrained I, Unseen Hip-Hop, Cattitude Dance Ensemble
More than Jazz-Hands: Kick/Ball/Change returns with Post-Apocolyptic Aplomb
May 1st, 2009. by Alley Hector.
Just OutThe inaugural
Kick/Ball/Change blew my mind. With a mix of drag, drama, dance and some
truly inspired choreography, KBC’s performers made me clap until my
palms hurt. I expect nothing less from the sophomore excursion,
happening
with panache Sunday, May 10 at the Someday Lounge.
Organizers
Jodi Bon Jodi and Max Voltage present the upcoming spectacle in
post-apocalyptic ballet costumes that capture what it means to be DIY
fabulous. Their goal, Voltage says, is to “create a space where all
sorts of dance-forms can come together and share a stage.”
This
installment features the theater-inspired art of Jessica Wallenfels and
the creative movement of everyone’s favorite unicorn gender-bender,
Kaj-Anne Pepper. Katrina O’Brien’s modern dance brings athleticism and
an avant-garde sensibility to the otherwise largely self-taught crews.
Campy boy-lesque by Beefcake Burlesque and the cheeky, catnip-
fueled
prancing of Catitude round out the evening.
But the star
performers here are one of Portland’s newest dance companies, Untrained,
I. With glitter and grace, the troupe of mostly “untrained” dancers
merges modern, hip-hop, ballet, and jazz dance. In pieces punctuated by
elaborate costumes, electro-pop, multimedia and political statements,
Untrained, I transforms
a performance genre that often takes itself
very seriously into something silly yet surprisingly skilled and lovely.
Sossity
Chiricuzio of Dirty Queer, Portland’s only erotic open mic night,
guides audience members through this experience. Our Mistress of
Ceremonies will add a sexual flare to a space already charged with
energy.
It’s nights like these, in their magical
combination
of performance and partying, that make Portland’s queer art scene
unique. You’re sure to feel high as you accompany the performers through
their heady trip – and likely to follow Kick/Ball/Change with dance
steps of your own.
Photos: Untrained I,
Cattitude Dance Ensemble, Untrained I
Kick/Ball/Change in review:
Dance is back!
January 27th,
2009. by Alley Hector. OregonLive.com
I hadn't uttered the words kick/ball/change since grade
school jazz
dance classes at the community center featuring neon leotards. But
Sunday night's Kick/Ball/Change performance brought it back to my
vocabulary. Going way beyond Sparkle Motion and jazz hands, the drag,
dance, performance-art stylings of Untrained, I, All of the Above,
KO&Co, Beefcake Burlesque and Cattitude entertained with
innovative, humorous and sexy moves that will not soon be forgotten.
Camp is almost always fun, but it is also
almost always trite. KBC's emcee, the unmatchable
Noah Mickens,
from art and performance groups such as 2Gyrlz and 36 Invisibles,
rocked the stage with highly original camp while clothed in a blood red
zoot suit. His slicked back hair even matched.
Beefcake
brought a myriad of masculinitities to the stage, celebrating the
hotness and showmanship that Portland is so known for. Their occasional
irreverence, however, was no match for the outright comedy of
Catitude,
whose curly wigs and enormous yellow cat eyes will haunt my dreams (in a
good way) for weeks.
As for
All of the Above,
I would say they pretty much lived up to their name. However, with
plenty of moments of laughter AA mostly served to indulge the
audience's need for style, sass and the successful use of black light
to enhance the eye candy. The moves were kickin'.
KO&Co
brought a practiced and trained post-modern language to a largely
self-taught show. They used these skills in an outlandish and
complementary juxtaposition to the troupe with the most performances of
the night,
Untrained, I.
A group that prides itself on performance without traditional
schooling, UI brought just the right amount of wit, languid and
thoughtful choregraphy, and straight up energy.
It was just
about the gayest thing I have ever seen. And that is most definitely a
good thing.