RetroAct’s aerial dancers offer simmering duets, intricate balancing acts, and campy celebration of drag. A dreamer wakes and dresses for work 20 feet in air. Two women work out their frustration and flirtation in a dance that reaches the ceiling.
Tangle Movement Arts presents RetroAct, a dynamic new aerial dance show from Philadelphia’s innovative aerial artists. RetroAct’s ten-woman cast mixes traditional circus arts, like trapeze and acrobatics, with dance, theater, and spoken word, to explore female strength, identity, and relationships between women.
RetroAct is a high-flying remix of the most exciting moments from Tangle’s five years of aerial dance theater. RetroAct’s acrobats travel through simmering duets, intricate balancing acts, a celebration of campy drag traditions, and a suspended-in-air meditation on the passage of time. A dreamer wakes and dresses for work 20 feet in the air. And two women work out their frustration and flirtation in a dance that traverses the room and reaches the ceiling.
“RetroAct dives into the past, present, and future of Tangle’s aerial dance theater,” says Tangle founder Lauren Rile Smith. “We’re proud of five years of Philadelphia-based aerial storytelling, highlighting diverse examples of female strength, and connections between women. Tangle aims to push the boundaries of what you expect to see in a circus show.”
Joining RetroAct as guest artists are Megan Gendell, an internationally performing trapeze artist, and Nina Giacobbe, a Philadelphia-based dance and theater artist and longtime Tangle collaborator.
Tangle Movement Arts is a circus arts company with a contemporary twist, whose work integrates traditional circus like trapeze and aerial silks with dance, theater, and live music to tell a multi-dimensional story. Tangle’s work reflects individuals of diverse identities, with an emphasis on queer and female experiences, and is devised collaboratively by its all-female ensemble. Philadelphia Weekly says Tangle, “blends circus-style acrobatics with a smart theatrical spin.” Tangle is based in Philadelphia and has been a Philly FringeArts Festival favorite since its inception in 2011.
RetroAct premieres at Christ Church Neighborhood House (20 N. American Street) on Thursday March 17th (8pm), Friday March 18th (8pm), and Saturday March 19th (3pm and 8pm). Tickets ($15-20) are available via www.tangle-arts.com.
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Tangle presents RetroAct—dynamic aerial dance theater.
Thursday, March 17 at 8pm
Friday, March 18 at 8pm
Saturday, March 19 at 3pm and 8pm.
90 minute run time.
Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Tickets: $15-20 (discounts for artists, students, seniors, and groups). Purchase at the door or online at www.tangle-arts.com.
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