Dance
Art Fag: The Collaborations, Interactions and Works of D.A. Hoskins
BY Jeff Harrison January 07, 2008 15:01
Featuring Danielle Baskerville & Brendan Wyatt. Choreographed by DA Hoskins. To Jan 13. Wed-Sat 8pm; Sun 2:30pm. $25; PWYC. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander. 416-975-8555. www.artsext.ca.
Choreographer D.A. Hoskins’ dance triptych Art Fag is at once angry, sensual, tender and jarring. In the opening piece, “Hard Candy,” Danielle Baskerville and Brendan Wyatt explore sexuality through modern dance, set to Jill Battson’s spoken-word soundscape, performed in her sultry English accent. Moments of beautiful violence — like the brutal smashing of a bouquet into fragrant confetti and Baskerville spitting water onto the naked trembling Wyatt — leave you wondering if the moment is enjoyed by both characters or just the dominant partner.
Hoskins’ second movement, “I Am Marilyn,” is stark. Wyatt moves to a guttural Russian narration of a street youth’s obsessive relationship with Marilyn Monroe and an abusive lover. English subtitles splashed across a white screen in the background fight for your attention as you struggle to make sense of the dance and the monologue at the same time.
The final piece, “Lady,” is the most charged, exploring various images of femininity. Brodie Stevenson’s macho chimp leads seamlessly into Baskervilles’ monologue on “sissy boys,” which is in turn beautifully supported by Wyatt and Stevenson’s very intimate pas de deux. Conversely, when Baskerville and Linnea Swan meet, it’s an overwhelming breakdown where dancers, trumpeter and soprano compete for attention. While the show’s multiple elements sometimes seem at odds with each other, Hoskin’s dancers never back down, making Art Fag a powerful performance.
625 Church St, 6th Floor, Toronto M4Y 2G1
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