Audience Reviews

AUDIENCE REVIEW: Lucid Art Collective - Adeethæseas | ESTIA Variety Show

Performance Date:
March 13, 2025

Freeform Review:

Lucid Art Collective, founded by Mytro Panagakis, Zoe Farago, and Linden Ebling, performed Adeethæseas (pronounced ‘antithesis’) as part of a mixed bill during the ESTIA Variety Show on March 13, 2025, at Crystal Lake in Brooklyn, NY. Other artists on the program included The Pocket Fuel Groovers, Rachel Ambrose, Ash Hudak, Miranda Stück, Izzy Marsail, Camilia Araque, Kitty Bailey, INTERLUDE, and ESTIA co-director Lydia Perakis. While most performers were alumni of previous ESTIA programs, a few, including Lucid Art Collective, made their ESTIA debut.

Crystal Lake’s intimate lounge setup gave each performance a distinct site-specific energy, transforming the space into a dynamic playground for movement, music, and artistic experimentation. A deep green booth stretched across the back of the small stage, becoming more than just a seating area—it was a platform, a prop, and a launchpad for the night’s performances. Every inch of the space—whether the booth’s top, the cushioned seat itself, the compact stage, or the floor—was activated in inventive ways, pulling the audience into immersive, shifting worlds tailored to each performer’s medium and story.

The Pocket Fuel Groovers turned the venue into a pulsing “Jungle-esque” music video, their choreography blending contemporary styles with house-infused grooves that made the space feel alive. Ash Hudak’s vocal performance, marked by effortless, cascading runs, shifted the energy inward, drawing the audience into a moment of quiet intimacy. Lydia Perakis introduced another layer of physicality, weaving a rope through and around bodies in the audience to create a human chain-link, a mesmerizing and emotional visual of connection.

Adeethæseas transformed the bar into almost a fashion runway. With the dancers being all the co-founders plus Ambre Burnand-Grimaldi, they prowled through the space with their intense gazes, their movements oscillating between fluid, soft shapes and crisp isolations. Jazz, contemporary, vogue, and commercial styles intertwined, exuding a sexy, femme, and fiercely commanding energy. Their hands were often on their bodies, moving across their chest, down their arms, and around their faces. A standout moment belonged to Zoe Farago, whose pink hair glowed under the stage lights as she framed her face and body with striking arm movements, each gesture a bold statement. The audience responded to her movement with “ayys” and “woos”.

Layered within the piece are a couple of different cultural references. Wearing a mix of ballet clothes and street clothes, the work seemed to question the expectations that come with ballet as a style and its history. In one moment specifically, the dancers stood in a line with their arms crossed in front of them and moving their feet, echoing the iconic “Dances of the Little Swans” in Swan Lake. In general, the quartet’s connection was strong as they alternated between unison phrases and moments of individual divergence. They shifted around each other and throughout the space like an amoeba expanding and contracting. 

ESTIA’s Variety Show at Crystal Lake showcased snippets of the type of art that is being created in New York City and how art can transform a bar lounge into any atmosphere. Lucid Art Collective’s work brought a strong presence in the room, making each moment feel intentional and dynamic as they deconstructed traditional styles and made their own.

Author:
Rachel Ha-Eun Lee

Photo Credit:
Derek Srisaranard