6/2

The Saturday evening performance is already underway when I get there. I head up the darkened stairs to the 4th floor gym where Brussels based  Palestinian-American,Tarek Halaby, is slowly undergoing a transformation that begins with him as he is and ends with him channelling Stevie Nicks a capella with an extended blues number along the way including letters to his grandmother that help create his narrative.

Adrienne Truscott who brings together the worlds of dance, circus and burlesque both as a solo performer and in her Wau-Wau Sisters duo, brings a comedic critique to sexism and sexual violence including an intelligent and creative use of her own body.  Including the famous Robert Di Niro you talkin to me scene from Taxi Driver. 

Closing out the first set is  Dynasty Handbag, the performance persona created by JIbz Cameron. She sends up and explores activities like waking  up in the morning while providing commentary on even the festival itself. She is both completely in the moment and outside of it at same time. 

Downstairs in McAlpin, I’m enjoying the transformation of the space through the timeline project, the post it notes covering the walls and the newly created festival t-shirt done on Occupy Wall Street’s silk screen set up. 

I make a point to speak with each of the curators, Eleanor Hullihan, Enrico Wey , Marissa Perel and Neal Medlyn.  I’m intrigued by the collapsing boundaries between performance art, dance, circus...not always easy to see where one begins and the other stops. Also the body itself  its rawest form, as a vehicle for performance expressing vulnerability and courage. 

Leila, a visual artist, has been attending these performances. Tonight, Steve was able to live stream the event through the #OWS network. Chriistopher has especially enjoyed the installations.  

Outside, Jamie has come by with her dog Toto. We finish the walk, go off for conversation. When we get back, the concert is ver. Teddy has returned. He’ outside talking with performers. There’s been a great relationship beween MR and the church. They’ve welcomed Bobby as part of the house, treated everyone with respect and cleaned up well. we have an especially good conversation with Adrienne. The curators will will be sticking around to clean up. 

The Movement Research festival had lived up to its title, Push it. Real. Good.  

Sunday morning will be here all to soon.