Public Programs
Trajal Harrell: Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at the Judson Church (S)
October 1 – 2 2009
Co-presented with Danspace, in association with the French Institute Alliance Française Crossing the Line festival, Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at the Judson Church is the collective and shared title of five dances in five sizes: Extra Small (XS), Small (S), Medium (M), Large (L), and Extra Large (XL), choreographed by Trajal Harrell. In his own words, this new work explores the question, “What would have happened in 1963 if someone from the voguing ball scene in Harlem had come downtown to perform alongside the early postmoderns at Judson Church?”
Rather than illustrate a historical fiction, Harrell’s new work transplants this proposition into a contemporary context and debate about the seduction of the audience and the naiveté of the performer, and/or vice-versa. The (S) version, co-presented by the New Museum and Danspace Project in association with Crossing the Line 2009, is a solo performance by Trajal Harrell featuring work by visual artist Franklin Evans.