Vangeline Theater
presents
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
Watch anytime
April 23-30, 2021
Friday 10am-Friday at midnight (Eastern Time)
https://vimeo.com/539620835
FREE
“Brilliantly, Vangeline Theater defied a stereotype of contemporary dance: rather than reaching for abstract meaning, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee clearly presents its audience with an inspiring environmental narrative through movement alone.”
Between April 25 and 30, 2021, Vangeline Theater will share archival footage of Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, a 60-minute dance piece performed in 2017 at Triskelion Arts.
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee utilizes the intensity of the art form butoh to convey a serious problem: the environmental repercussions of non-recyclable waste. The performers danced through garbage; a set made of 1500 collected unsalvageable coffee cups, illustrating the extensive amount of non-recyclable waste generated by society. Currently, Americans are responsible for a staggering 58% of the paper cup consumption in the world. This issue is directly linked to the threat of global warming.
“We are not quite ready to get back into the theater yet,” explained Vangeline. “As a result, I have been looking for archival footage to share with our audiences this Spring. In 2017, I conceived Wake Up and Smell the Coffee as a cautionary tale about global warming; four years and one pandemic later, this piece has never felt more relevant.
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee is a good fit for streaming because it is family-friendly and has a fairy tale narrative that is really accessible. It tackles a serious subject, but the piece can be whimsical at times. I drew as much from butoh as I did from European traditions, infusing butoh with satire, pocking fun at the preciousness of Western cultural heritage. These days, we all could use a little humor; hopefully, on Earth Day weekend, the message of this piece–overconsumption, and hubris–will resonate while audiences are entertained.”
Conceived, choreographed and directed by Vangeline.
Dancers: Azumi Oe, Leah Marie Beltran, Maki Shinagawa, Margherita Tisato, Maddy Sher, Sindy Butz, Stacy Lynn Smith, and Vangeline. Originally performed on April 22nd, 2017 at Triskelion Arts.
Lighting design by Andy Dickerson.
Ensemble costumes by Hector Perez.
Music mixed by Geoff Shelton featuring Concerto for violin and strings “The Four Seasons” by Vivaldi, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan; Brandenburg Concerto No 3, Johann Sebastian Bach, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan; “Recomposed by Max Richter”, Vivaldi “The Four Seasons”; Gao Jiafeng, “Karma in Blues”; Amon Tobin, “Dark Jovian”.
Photos by Michael Blase.
This program was supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.