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Here’s what I saw at the Rochester Fringe Festival on Thursday-Sunday! Check below for my thoughts and recommendations! 

Mariah Maloney Dance at Xerox Auditorium – “Partially inspired by a sparkler dance that her father performed for her while living in an Alaskan cabin with no electricity, LIGHT features MMD’s professional dancers clad in LED costumes – this charming engagement with formalism in post-modern dance will literally light up your life!” I love dance and had really been looking forward to this, but I had mixed feelings about the performance. I was totally enchanted and transported by the evocative music selections that accompanied the dancers in the second half of the show, but the music and choreography in the first 20 minutes felt shallow and without vision and passion. There were two solo dances in the middle that were particularly moving and they were the clear highlight of the performance for me. I wasn’t super impressed with the construction of the LED costumes, which were only in a portion of the show. And I felt like I saw the same choreography repeatedly, but the dancers had lovely technique and all did a fine job. Altogether, I was hoping for more. C.

Cello Show at Java’s – “What do you get when you combine six saucy lady-cellists, a slick drummer, and a sock-rocking vocalist? The answer is: a show of epic proportions only attainable through the juicy sound of a pop-cello group.” Despite their small and crowded venue (a college hotspot coffee shop), starting over 20 minutes late because they all showed up late and had to fight through the crowds with their giant cellos, and a vocalist that, even with a mic, was difficult to hear over the sounds of a noisy coffee shop, I really enjoyed this free performance. These fierce ladies are good at what they do and have a nice sound. The cello is such a cool instrument and their vibe worked nicely with a bustling coffee shop when mixed with a warm beverage and a relaxing window seat on which to people watch. B. 

Bandaloop at Washington Square Park/Xerox – “A pioneer in vertical dance movement, the San Francisco company turns the dance floor on its side by seamlessly weaving together dynamic physicality, intricate choreography and the art of climbing. BANDALOOP performs in theatres and museums as well as on skyscrapers, bridges, billboards, historical sites and natural wonders all over the world.” These guys dance vertically on skyscrapers…hundreds of feet in the air. I mean, that’s just plain rad. Really, it’s very cool and they certainly can do some neat tricks and dance moves. But I saw them last year too, so the wonder and awe has worn off a bit for me. I also think it’s a little strange that Fringe chose to bring them back as a headliner for the second year in a row. Once was awesome, but it would have been nice to see something different this year. B.

TheatreRocs Showcase at Xerox Auditorium – “The TheatreROCS Showcase will provide a living collage of dynamic talent hosted by two of Rochester’s most beloved personalities:  Kasha Davis and Aggy Dune. See previews from Rochester theatres’ upcoming seasons as well as teasers for TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Fringe shows to come.” Hosted by Rochester’s two biggest personalities – a hilarious and big-hearted duo of glamorous drag performers – this performance offered preview snippets of several upcoming shows from various theatres within the Rochester theatre community. I really enjoyed some of the performances and was less thrilled by others. But everyone was passionate about celebrating and sharing live theatre within this community, which was the most important thing. And it was great to see previews of what’s coming up this season! Highlights were definitely jokes from Kasha and Aggy, music from The Last Five Years and several improv songs based upon topics of the audience’s choosing. B.

A Thousand Dreams Within Me Softly Burn at George Eastman House – ” The evocative capabilities of the harp are unlimited: at once graceful and dreamy, then fearsome and imposing. This concert uses this power of the harp to transport audiences to the realm of dreams and nightmares through the pairing of acoustic harp music with visual art.” This collaboration between a harpist and local visual artist was awesome. The visuals were almost illusion-like and one thing sort of flowed into another, so each image could be seen as several different things. They were probably 30+ drawings, and the harp music that accompanied it went from soft and dreamy to bold, plucky and nightmarish, showcasing a full range of emotions on the harp to mirror the visual art. Really cool. The venue was intimate and visually interesting, but very tiny. But I think 30-45 minutes would have been an ideal performance time, rather than a hour. A. 

Human Library at Eastman School of Music – “The Human Library is a mobile library set up as a space for education, dialogue and interaction. Visitors to a Human Library are given the opportunity to speak informally with “people on loan,” who represent a variety of backgrounds and with whom participants might not easily get the chance to engage in an open conversation. This innovative method designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding has been part of many festivals all over the world.” This was phenomenal. There were 18 “books” (people each with a unique story to share that are sometimes faced with stereotype or prejudice) and you could check out a “book” (person) of your choosing at the circulation desk for a 30 minute conversation about who they are, their history, and worldview. You could ask them any question and, even if you don’t subscribe to that worldview, you could have respectful discourse with someone you might otherwise never have had an opprtunity to speak to. An incredible way to break down barriers and learn more about the world and people in it. Books included a vegan activist, homeless single mom turned PHD student, a high school teacher going through a gender change, a Hijab-wearing Muslim woman, a refugee from Sudan, a couple battling anorexia together, etc. It was just way beyond super awesome. A+.

Dangerous Signs at The Little Cafe – “DANGEROUS SIGNS uses a mix of spoken and sign language poetry to create pieces that are comedic, serious, musical or tell a story.” Students from RIT’s National Technological Institute for the Deaf make up this theatre/poetry/creative movement group. They use sign language along with spoken word, movement and song to tell stories, poetry, and current events. I saw it last year too and I really love what they do. It’s wonderful that the worlds of the theatre, music, and poetry can be shared with everyone. B. 

Divas Our Way at Xerox Auditorium – “BIG WIGS is a high-energy, Las Vegas-style show featuring Kasha Davis and Aggy Dune, who bring their dead-on impressions to sold-out crowds everywhere. The fast-paced DIVAS OUR WAY includes all of your favorites:  Cher, Tina Turner, Celine Dion, Liza Minnelli, Lady Gaga, Bette Midler and many more.” Amazing. Seriously fabulous. Hilarious. Glamorous. Spot on. Highly entertaining. I enjoyed every single minute of these talented “ladies” (it’s drag) diva show. Don’t miss it….really. A+

Surround Sound at The Little Cafe – “Surround Sound is RIT’s first and only all-male barbershop group. They specialize in the nearly forgotten art of barbershop music is what sets them apart from the rest. Their music takes advantage of the natural strengths of the human voice, incorporating complex chord structures and glowing harmonics to produce a full, rich sound, even without amplification.” These dudes were stellar. It was fun and uplifting and nostalgic. They sounded so great together and it put a huge smile on my face. I really love the barbershop style and they did not disappoint. They could pack a little more punch on their consonants, but it was a blissful way to spend a cool autumn Sunday afternoon. A.

Proof of Purchase at The Little Cafe – “Proof of Purchase is the Rochester Institute of Technology’s premier and only co-ed a cappella group. Affectionately known as POP, Proof of Purchase combines the ethereal qualities of the female voice with a strong foundation of male vocals.” I enjoyed this a cappella group too. Their tunes were more contemporary and they added in some percussion with their voices as well. They had a lot of passion and produced a full, vibrant sound. It would be nice if they established more of a dress-code for their members (it just helps pull the look of the group together nicely) and some of their songs could use a bit of cleaning up around the edges, but they did sound really great together. B. 

Total dollars spent: $0 (Most of the shows were free, but it pays to volunteer because A) it’s a nice thing to do, and B) there are occasional perks)

Next week you need to see: Divas our Way at the Xerox Auditorium! Bring your friends for a fun night out!

Next year don’t miss: The Human Library and Surround Sound

Favorite venue so far: The George Eastman House is an awesome, intimate and visually appealing venue (arrive super early!) but Xerox Auditorium can seat lots of folks comfortably, has a lot of different shows on rotation, and is selling delicious brownies (an obvious plus).

Looking forward to seeing next week: A Man A Magic A Music and Merged both at Geva’s Nextstage, Swingin’ on a Star and Mikaela Davis at the Gibbs Street stage, Get Cut Off at Xerox Auditorium, and the Spiegeltent! Among other things…

*All photos via the Rochester Fringe Fest website. Also, I was not paid to share these thoughts and all opinions are my own.