MY SISTER WAS THE FIRST TO FLY

This dance show at the Bootleg Theatre in East Los Angeles is there just this one week-end, so, if you’re an experimental dance fan, with time for culture in the next three days or nights, this just may be the show for you.  Even if My Sister Was the First to Fly is not your exact cup of tea, I think you’ll recognize that a lot of work went into it.

These pics don’t depict the show at all, so please don’t judge by them. Photos by Nik Kazoura.

The only problem with it is, that while my friend and I enjoyed it, we had no idea what was going on.  At all.  A synopsis in the program would have been helpful.  I figured I would just look it up when I got home, (to understand what I had just seen,) but it turns-out that it’s not a known story, but rather an obscure one by a member of this Fugitive Kind company.  So, this is the only sentence I could find about it on the web: “A young girl on the cusp of adulthood stays stubbornly human as the rest of her small town turns animal.”  I would have never guessed that that is what was going on!

But it didn’t really matter much—as a “dance theatre” performance, (which is how the press release describes it,) it stood on its own. I think everyone will enjoy the many different types of movement that are included.

And Julia Aks’ (who’s on the right, in the big picture above) performance on aerial silks at the end is worth the price of admission alone.  She’s the star of the show, but, curiously, her bio is far down in the program.  That’s strange, especially because she’s first alphabetically, so she should be listed first no matter what.

The piece also features a pole-dancing number, lots of crazy costumes, and all genres of music. What else could one need from about seventy minutes of entertainment? There was something for everybody.

Another point of interest is how diverse the cast is; they’re all different types, sizes, and shapes. That’s especially striking for a dance company.

A quick note on the Bootleg Theatre: I had never been there before, but it looks like a lot of fun.  There’s a lot space, both in the actual theatre and in the lobby, which had a concession-stand type of bar, and even a photo booth in another area.  And the best part is—there are three restrooms!

Week-end tweeting note!: I’m going out early on Sunday evening, but if I can get home in time, I’ll live-tweet Miss America, to the West Coast, at least.  (@MajorCelebrity) If I don’t start on time, I’ll still try to get to it that night.  After all, it’s never too late for the snark!  (And props, too, of course.)