Experimental, bro

Miami, bro attended Wednesday night's experimental performance, Tribute: A Summoning, an homage to Joe Meek, music producer. I'm always thrilled when there is something neat I can attend on a week night in my neighborhood, and thankfully, this took place nearby in Wynwood at the Center for Visual Communication. It was choreographed by Ana Mendez, a lovely, lithe, little lady who makes me wish I actually took dance class seriously when I was young, before I remember how much grace I lack and how incredibly clumsy I am. It wsa quite an awesome, well-attended performance with a wonderful soundtrack by sound installation artist Richard Vergez.

On to me for a second. I hate warehouses. I know it's not "cool" to feel this way, but I hate them. Can't anyone knock a window or two into the walls? I get it, the closed spaces are good for performances, but more than once on Wednesday, talk of the Great White ("Once Bitten Twice Shy," anyone?) concert fire in Rhode Island came upon the minds of at least a few attendees.

On topic again, the show started with Ana's hands dancing through what looked like the plastic tape from a cassette. Then the curtain was pulled aside and smoke billowed out onto the seated audience. The six "dancers," boys in suits and sunglasses, performed as a band to a version of the song "Johnny Remember Me." It was a really powerful opening. There were a few more scenes with the boys either coolly walking about or jerking abstracty, resembling people on fire in slow motion. Already a haunting scene, a brief clip of Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" added to the mood. The visual movements created a psychedelic feel or if you're from Miami you might say that it was trippy, bro.

Probably the most interesting scene was when the boys paired up and began to hug each other in a way that begins as tender. Then they start to move their arms into different hug positions, the awkwardness and restrant creates a minor struggle which escalates and the boys end up askew on the ground. All I could think of was how well this scene represented so many of my past relationships. Cheers for getting that onstage.

Finally, Mendez came out and danced over the boys. I'm mostly blind, so I couldn't tell what she was wearing, but it was white, diaphanous and satiny, in contrast to the besuited men. Her dance rouses them and they began flingining her around and I kept thinking,"Watch out! Her head!" But all was a success, with her head staying in tact and the audience enchanted.


The other performers included Alex Puentes, Federico Nessi, Liony Garcia, Ricardo Guerrero, Rick Diaz and Sleeper.