IMPRESSIONS: Deganit Shemy at Danspace Project

 

Fits, starts and vulnerable parts
Belly rumblings and mumblings
Broken spines like porcupines writhing around
And tumbling to the ground with a THUD

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Deganit. She lived with five fairies that loved to dance. They didn’t dance like the other fairies in the kingdom, but their movements were at least as beautiful, if not more so because of their strangeness.

One day Princess Deganit thought it would be a good idea to build an army out of her fairies (in case of an invasion, or some such thing). She dressed them in brightly colored wrestling gear, some had gas masks, and they all had knee pads that said “brute” on them.

The princess trained the fairy/soldiers in the art of hand-to-hand combat, and, when they needed to, they could assemble themselves into one animal that moved like a well-oiled, if utterly un-pretty machine.

This army was fierce and laughed in the face of danger. Their seeming disregard for the safety of their bodies was actually a top-secret tactical maneuver to seem more vulnerable than they are.

Some might say that their graceless appearance and lack of efficiency are signs of a troupe that is destined for an abrupt demise. But don’t let their commitment to the awkward and discomforting fool you.

Watching this group on the frontlines is like watching a bunch of fragile orchids contorting their way through the cracks in the pavement---by any means necessary.