Fringe 2018 – Risky and Risqué Dance and Aerial Shows

From heartwarming to sexy, many dance productions debuted at the Hollywood Fringe Festival this year.

Vixen DeVille Revealed

Cat LaCohie invites the audience into the bedazzled world of her burlesque persona, Vixen DeVille – including fire-eating, magic, and walking on broken glass. Taking guests on a journey through her life, LaCohie shows us why audiences are drawn to her. Charismatic and extremely talented, LaCohie explores how she discovered her inner Vixen, how she carved a niche for herself in the world of burlesque through magic and comedy, and how she evolved from self-conscious into celebrating “the good, the bad, and the wobbly.” In a more intimate moment, she relives a shoulder injury which left her jobless for two years and how she recovered, culminating in an absolutely beautiful aerial routine. Smart, funny and powerful, Vixen DeVille Revealed is a moving yet sexy and entertaining time at the theater.

Craftlesque

Cherry Poppins’ production of Craftlesque intertwines burlesque and singing with the ‘90s film The Craft. The New Girl at school finds herself drawn to a trio of classmates who also happen to be witches – Psycho Girl, Ethnic Girl and Burnt Girl. Through their friendship and magic, they get back at those who scorned them before turning on each other. However, Craftlesque is in no way serious. Written by Alli Miller and directed by Sarah Haworth, the show cranks the silliness up to eleven, as the Mean Girl sings to her hair as it falls out, stripping dancers give several men from the audience lap dances, and famous lines from the film are winked at the audience. A fantastic parody, Craftlesque at times had me laughing so hard I was crying. From the outfits to their absolutely extraordinary use of “Creep” by Radiohead, this sexy show is balls-to-the-wall camp.

Circus of Love

Daurden Performing Arts presents Circus of Love, which explores a myriad of relationship dynamics through dance and aerial work. Each dance routine views the concept of love through a different lens – from same-sex relationships to adultery to the Garden of Eden to interracial couples. While the dancers of Circus of Love range in proficiency, they all express loads of emotions through their movements. Of particular note: a fun, tongue-in-cheek dance about a man’s fascination with a blow-up doll; and a gorgeous aerial silks piece about being with someone who has bi-polar disorder. With excellent musical selections, and the inclusion of many types of relationships, Circus of Love radiates.

Dorothy & Alice

Dorothy has visited Oz, and Alice has come back from Wonderland. Aeriform Arts puts these two travelers together and explores what could be a vivid friendship. Through the use of aerial arts, the two reminisce on their trips and the monsters (and friends) they encountered there. Some of the acting left me wanting more, but I was completely awe-struck by the aerial feats of the entire cast – especially while in cumbersome costumes, which were gorgeous! One of my favorite pieces was when all the characters from Oz and Wonderland intermingled, using a static trapeze and a Lyra. Alice’s aerial silks number was breathtaking, especially the last descent down the rabbit hole. Dorothy & Alice was magical!