Carnival of the Animals

Carnival of the Animals

Venue: Harris Theater
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
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Carnival of the Animals, an evening-length work written and conceived by spoken word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph in response to the events of January 6, 2021, navigates the reality of today’s political jungle through music, poetry, and dance, embodying our shifting societal values and our relationship to democracy. Anchored in Joseph’s powerful words, the work is choreographed and directed by Francesca Harper and performed by Wendy Whelan and Marc Bamuthi Joseph. The collaboration between these renowned artists crosses the boundaries of traditional genres and produces a unique and moving performance.

Carnival of the Animals is set to a vivid reimagining of Camille Saint-Saëns’ classic composition of the same name, reworked by composer and interdisciplinary artist Sugar Vendil more than one hundred years after its original publication. The contemporary score depicts a visceral landscape of animalistic inspirations, brought to life by an ensemble of two pianos, violin, cello, and audio recordings to represent a holistic experience of stark political unsteadiness.

Developed and produced by SOZO, an arts agency and incubator with a two-decade history that intersects social impact, innovation and the arts, this contemporary expression features a primarily BIPOC and women core creative team.

“…Ms. Whelan is among that rare breed of artists who have touched the public in a way that transcends the fashions that can make ballerinas (or artists or actors) sensations for a season. Her sinewy physicality, with its tensile, thoroughbred articulation of muscle and tendon, her kinetic clarity and her dramatic, otherworldly intensity have created a quite distinct and unusual identity…” — The New York Times 

“ Joseph’s poetry is the driving force of the work’s message, insistently studded with repetition and chilling wordplay that questions as powerfully as it cuts.” — Dance Enthusiast