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Dancing
and art: Emma Nagasawa.
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Cirque
de la Nightclub
At
local art openings, it’s not un usual to be welcomed by a
gourmet buffet or some live music, a guitarist or a DJ, or
maybe even some sort of video happening. But aerialists, ballerinas,
belly dancers, and the occasional fire juggler or stilt walker
are definitely uncommon sights amid the white walls and unobtrusively
geometric placements of the average gallery reception. Until
September of last year, that is, when producer James Rose
unfurled the first Cirque de la Nocturne, “a showcase of art,
dance, and performance.”
Cirque events are auctions of artworks by local artists that
feature live performances, and are usually held in nightclubs
and restaurants. “The emphasis is on the fine arts and showcasing
local talent, although not all the dance is formal,” says
Rose, a painter from Kinderhook who recently moved to Albany.
“It’s about integrating art and culture into the region’s
mainstream nightlife, to bring it to the people and not leave
it stuck in a white cube somewhere, or on a stage with $50
ticket prices. Our first show sold out,” he adds. “We sold
everything, 29 pieces of artwork.”
Rose says he got the inspiration for Cirque de la Nocturne
when he met an aerial silks artist—“they’re aerialists who
use long silk garments to drop from the ceiling; They’re like
gymnasts or contortionists in the air”—which gave him the
idea to do a Cirque de Soleil-themed party at Envy Lounge,
where he bartends. He had seen aerial silks done at Ruby Sky,
a nightclub in San Francisco, and flew in aerialist Veronica
Blair for the party. Since the first Cirque last September,
his performance troupe has grown to include classical ballet
by Emma Nagasawa, Arabic belly dancing by Emily Krontiris,
cabaret burlesque by Larissa Diaz, gymnastics by Sarah Funk,
and a “danse du jour,” which could be tango, jazz, or swing.
“We
don’t concentrate on camp, or any one type of performance,”
says Rose. “We’ve had ballroom, and also contemporary forms,
like hip-hop and break dancing. We’ll have digital artists
in the future. It’s experimental and sophisticated, but fun,
because it’s high energy.”
A lot of that energy comes from Rose’s 11 years as a promoter
in San Francisco, where he organized special events for venues
as diverse as Velvet Lounge and the Wattis Institute for Contemporary
Arts, as well as mounting shows for his own paintings. “When
I got back,” he says, “I wanted to do parties.”
Cirque has a roster of about 15 mixed-media artists. “The
artworks are auctioned because it’s a more informal and sociable
outlet for patrons to purchase art, compared to gallery protocol,”
says Rose. “You don’t have to seek out someone to buy it from.
At auction you just sign your name on a piece of paper.” The
events are themed: In July, a Vegas Night was held at Envy
Lounge; on Tuesday and Wednesday (Aug. 26 and 27), Cirque
“heats up” the Parting Glass pub in Saratoga Springs; on Sept.
5, a Roaring ’20s masquerade inspired by Hermann Hesse’s Steppenwolf
will be held at Trinity Church in Albany, in conjunction with
the Upstate Artists Guild.
“It’s
a new idea, to be interactive, mish-mash this stuff together,
and have enough structure so that people don’t feel lost,”
says Rose. “We have an MC who guides people through the night.”
The events begin with a meet-and-greet happy hour allowing
performers and artists to mingle with patrons before the performances.
Rose cheerfully admits that cocktails help sales.
Yet selling his own work is almost incidental. “I like organizing,”
he says. “I like getting performers together, and interacting
with them, and giving them an opportunity to perform, because
a lot of them had to stop, [for example], because they weren’t
at the level of the New York City Ballet, but they’re still
really good, and it’s their dream to do it. Because I’m an
artist, I appreciate opportunity.”
—Ann
Morrow
Cirque
de la Nocturne will appear at the Parting Glass Pub (42 Lake
Ave.) in Saratoga Springs, Tuesday and Wednesday (Aug. 26
and 27) from 6 to 11 PM. The silent auction starts at 6 PM.
Performances are at 7:30 and 9 PM. Bidding on art closes at
9 PM. The evening’s performers are Larissa Diaz dancing burlesque,
Emma Nagasawa performing ballet, Shock Wave the Human Robot,
Atlas, Mecca and Ethan Moore break dancing, the Limited Eddition
female hip-hop freestyle dancers, and local visual artists
including Joleen Button, Michael Button, Jeremy Kohler, Dan
Neet, Keira Lemonis, Kevin McKrell, Katie McKrell, James Rose,
Rebecca Schoonmaker, Serena Tearno and Tommy Watkins. Admission
is $10; call 583-1916 for more info.
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