Don’t be surprised when a cowboy rides past on a plastic chicken and starts “shooting” with his trash picker, and the upsetting earworm Y.M.C.A. makes a brief auditory appearance. Because this subversive procession of bodies, things and materials makes fun of our pop culture, which considers itself universal and is all too often worshipped blindly. Make Banana Cry’s masters of ceremony are Andrew Tay, the current director of the Toronto Dance Theatre, and Stephen Thompson, who danced with Trajal Harrell and won a bronze medal at the World Figure & Fancy Skating Championships, among other things. Cleverly styled and coded in line with the demands of contemporary art, their parade, memorably executed by six performers, serves to bewilder the Western-influenced gaze on representations of “Asianness” and to dispense with stereotypes.
Performance: Francesca Chudnoff, Hanako Hoshimi-Caines, Cynthia Koppe, Sehyoung Lee, Andrew Tay and Stephen Thompson
Visual installation: Dominique Pétrin
Production: Romane de Montgrand
Tour technician and lighting design: Öykü Önder
Photo: Claudia Chan Tak and Manuel Vasson
With the support of Festival TransAmériques (CA), as part of FTA Respirations, the Canada Council for the Arts (CA) and MAI (Montréal arts interculturels) (CA).
With residency support from CCOV (Centre de Création O Vertigo) (CA) and supported by the representation of the Québec government.