Stunning art, music and entertainment at the Pink Line Project's 'Cherry Blast'

Posted by Susanna at 12:55 PM, Apr 11, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Events

Performance artists with nothing on top but body-paint

HUNDREDS OF hip Washingtonians hiked across the Anacostia River last night to join in the fun of The Pink Line Project's "Cherry Blast."

MANY TOOK THE bright yellow school bus shuttling back and forth between trendy Dupont Circle in upscale Northwest and a scruffy warehouse in sketchy Southeast, where they normally wouldn't be caught anywhere near, especially after dark.

BUT WHEN THEY got there, they were rewarded with rich sensory overload -- edgy music by Yoko K + Aphrodizia, with Yoko on the computer and keyboards; projection, percussion and strings by 302acid; spectacular video and new music by John Bowen and the Video Killers DC, Optical Groove with A DC DJ, and JMC. There was also visual art by Cory Oberndorfer, light design by David London and dance by CityDance Ensemble.

AT ONE POINT during Yoko K + Aphrodizia's performance, Katrina Toews, Sylvana Sandoz and others from the neighboring THEARC burst into a spontaneous improvisational modern dance performance that was a thrilling visual feast. Toews and Sandoz are teachers at THEARC, a performing arts center for children a few blocks away, also in Southeast D.C.

ALL OF THIS was topped off with performance artists, two women and a man body painted, alternately standing in the middle of the crowd on pedestals or in a black cage off to the side. Having topless women with nothing on top except body paint is a new frontier for a D.C. gathering. However, the crowd kept going like they had seen it all before. Or not. Many had to stop and take pictures.

IN SUM, Philippa Hughes and her the Pink Line Project put together a stunning program that pushed the traditional D.C. boundaries of art, style and entertainment and resulted in an exciting, even thrilling evening for everybody.

OR AS Henry Thaggert put it, "Only Philippa could get so many white people to go to Southeast on a Saturday night."

LOOK OUT NEW YORK and look out world. Philippa Hughes is reinventing performing and visual art and nighttime entertainment, and it's not long before everybody takes notice.