Dance Dimensions: ‘Palermo!’ Premieres

Meredith Ventura’s Selah Dance Collective is performing the world premiere of Palermo! (Sure Shot Comedy! Bang Up Fun!) over three shows at Center Stage Theater January 17-18. The piece continues Ventura’s choreographic exploration of early 20th-century performance, building on her acclaimed research project Sound and Smoke, which examines the aesthetics and social undercurrents of 1920s German cabaret. This new work takes its inspiration from the Futurist cabarets of Italy in the 1920s and 1930s, diving into the complex relationship between art, politics and identity during the interwar period. The piece draws parallels between the experimental acts crafted in these cabaret spaces and the turbulent socio-political landscapes in which they existed. As with much of Ventura’s choreography, Palermo! illustrates how the human body both rejects and resists political forces – in both historical and current contexts – over questions of power and agency in what is sure to be another provocative piece. Visit https://centerstagetheater.org for tickets and details.