Fringe 2011:Grim Walks Tonight

The MN Fringe Festival snuck upon us again this year. When we first moved to Minneapolis I was unaware such a festival and celebration of theater and dance existed...it came so close on teh heelsof us moving to the cities. Last year the ten days of performances had come and gone before we could bat an eye. This year, I wanted to be prepared, yet we still couldn't catch a show until half way through.

Thankfully, we had a total of five shows planned. Ross caught another last Thursday night. We're hoping one of the festival's picks isn't sold out tonight.

Wednesday we saw our first fringe perfromance, but we were in no way new to the company. Grim Walks Tonight is a show by Minneapolis locals, Rainy Day Caberet. We were treated to their macabre modern dance style during a lengthy program last fall. Ross was drawn into their dark and twisted outlook and happily agreed to join me for this Fringe venture.

I have a slightly longer, albeit disconnected, history with Rainy Day Cabaret. A core company dancer was a classmate of mine at Stevens Point, as was one of their occasional guest artists. The founding member of the company also had a brief history at the university, though she shortly moved onto the University of Minnesota. However, during her brief time at UWSP, I did have the chance to costume one of her pieces for After Images. At the time I was excited by her inspirations and musical choices, as well as her dark and gothic visions. However, her cliche ideas about costumes...all black, sheer, shrouded and spider-webbed...put me off artistically. I wanted to push to a deeper level of macabre and was disappointed that she was drawn to the sterotypes and tried and tried again images.

While I love the darkness and themes this company flaunts, this same frustration from 6-7 years ago still rings clear. The topic and themes are exciting. The movements are strong, capativating and incredibly well executed. But overall they are just skirting the surface of what these talented and twisted artists are capable of. The story line is a bit garbled. The thoughts incomplete. And I was left watching amazing choreographing by an incredibly talented company in a dark mood, but I was never drawn beyond that...

This review sums the Fringe offering up really well: http://www.mnartists.org/article.do?rid=295918

Their fall showing offered much more unsettling images and disturbing sadness. As well as more thought out story lines and arcs throughout. It felt more complete. More thought out. Less of a sampling of movemtents and ideas. Perhaps these fuller length offerings are where this comapny is meant to shine. Not in the 5 mintue offerings of a college showcase or the scant hour they have for the fringe.

Still, the show was solid. The dancers moving with both grace and at time a jarring, stilted syncopation. I look forward to what erupts from their collective pysche for their next performance...