I stage managed and ran lights this weekend for the closing event of the Texas Unbound Festival - a performance by the Dancing Tongue Cabaret group which encompassed a sort of "best of" their past performances including the Dada Show. The show ran about 2 1/2 hours long, which was very lengthy for a Sunday night. But I hadn't gotten to see many of their performances, since mezzo soprano Lisa Huffaker of the Dallas Opera joined the troupe. Lisa brings a wonderful and expressive energy to the group and raises the bar on performance. The group did readings of Walt Whitman poems, Tim Cloward performed a few old standards including "Jazz" and "Tractor" and the majority of the show seemed devoted to the Dada pieces. There were several "ballet" pieces with ordinary objects set to Eric Satie's compositions - the first of which involved projections using a flashlight. and the second of which utilized an overhead projector with objects like a egg beater whisk, mixer heads and other assorted objects. Seeing the images projected "dancing" with one another, I thought of Man Ray's photograms, the simplicity and personality of everyday objects. A live ballet with performers dancing with toilet plungers and engaging in various ways with these objects (from drinking vessels to dance partners to hats) closed the performances, which was followed by a quiz on Dada.
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