This excerpt opens with an apparent glitch in the forward progression of the performance; a pause that recalls video game characters from the 90’s, animated to “breathe” when not active in the game. The screen bodies subsequently unfreeze but remain caught in hypnotic cycling until they’re jolted forward by the ESPN logo sequence. This jump-starts competitive race-walking around the room. United only by shared selfie stick access to their social media followers, they hustle to “effortlessly” seduce their virtual audience while ignoring the live viewers present in the room. I was interested that the performance capture the kinds of extreme contrasts between effort and effortlessness that seem to characterize contemporary technological society, and which are bound up with class divisions.

see this short video, that describes the ideas that drove the development of Escapes & Reversals, and our process of making it.
see performance reviews in Performance Response Journal and New City

made and directed by Ginger Krebs
with Maddie Kodat, Naoki Nakatani, Zach Nicol, and Harlan Rosen, dance
Joseph Kramer, sound
Christine Shallenberg, lighting
Unity Lutheran Church, Chicago, 2019, 60 minutes
video documentation by Carlos Augusto de Oliveira and Yao Yi Wang

In contrast to the digitally inspired movement in excerpt #1, this second excerpt features exertion by live, gravity-bound bodies that have density and therefore the capacity to resist. They appear to respond to larger threats whose origins can’t be readily identified. Toward the end of this excerpt, a lone performer remains to confront this giant, invisible force.
In this section I integrated choreography for a drone camera with live performance in order to access extremes of scale and distance, and to recall footage of U.S. drone strikes in Afghanistan, where thermally illuminated, high resolution human targets crouch down to try to hide their cross-haired bodies before being shot.

see this short video, that describes the ideas that drove the development of Escapes & Reversals, and our process of making it.
see performance reviews in Performance Response Journal and New City

made and directed by Ginger Krebs
with Maddie Kodat, Naoki Nakatani, Zach Nicol, and Harlan Rosen, dance
Joseph Kramer, sound
Rillan DaSalla, drone video
Christine Shallenberg, lighting
Unity Lutheran Church, Chicago, 2019, 60 minutes
video documentation by Carlos Augusto de Oliveira and Yao Yi Wang

concept and direction: Ginger Krebs
dance: Sabrina Baranda, Elise Cowin, Joanna Furnans, Ginger Krebs
sound: Joseph Kramer
lighting: Christine Shallenberg
video documentation by Eugene Park
The Storefront Theater, Chicago, 2016, 65 minutes

concept, direction and dance: Ginger Krebs
videography: Aaron Granat
assistant videography: Ji Yang
Chicago, 2018, 30 minutes

audio:
Carnival of the Animals (The Swan), Camille Saint Saens, performed by the Ingrooves Symphony Orchestra

concept, direction, costumes and props: Ginger Krebs
dance performance: Ginger Krebs, Dani Martinez, April Noga, Adam Paul, Jon Poindexter, Kevin Stanton, Aurora Tabar,
music performance: James Falzone, Charlie Malave and John Niekrasz
camera: Kitty Huffman

sound includes recorded excerpts from
Geno Auriemma: 14 Drills for Building Offense,
The Quest, Man of La Mancha, lyrics by Joe Darion, music by Mitch Leigh, performed by Andy Williams,
and music composed by Robert Schumann, Traumerei, from Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), Opus 15, No. 7

The Auditorium Theater Katten/Landau studio, Chicago, 2014, 55 minutes

concept and performance: Joseph Kramer and Ginger Krebs
camera: Will Goss
sound includes an excerpt by George Winston
Defibrillator Performance Art Gallery, Chicago 2012, 45 minutes

concept, direction and performance: Jose Hernandez, Ginger Krebs, Bryan Saner, Aurora Tabar and Sara Zalek
camera: Rustel Weiss
New Capital Projects, Chicago, 2012, 17-minute video

concept and direction: Ginger Krebs
performance: Jose Hernandez, Ginger Krebs, Aurora Tabar
installation: Sabina Ott
costumes and props: Ginger Krebs and Bryan Saner
text: Ginger Krebs
camera: Eryka Dellenbach
The Hyde Park Art Center, 2016, 25 minutes

In Colorless, With a Sweet Smell, the separate endeavors of three performers overlap in a Styrofoam landscape. Surveying machinery scans the plastic mountain for traces of organic material, a corporate customer service representative “takes your calls”, and a body experiencing strange symptoms performs a spiritual detox regimen.

concept and direction: Ginger Krebs and Adam Rose
performance: Ginger Krebs
costume and prop by Ginger Krebs
sound includes edited excerpts by Arvo Part, The Jets, and the Monks of the Entchi Monastery
camera: Will Goss
Chicago 2012, 20 minutes

costume, direction, costumes, props, sound: Ginger Krebs
performance: Andy Braddock, Jose Hernandez, Carole McCurdy, Adam Rose, Annie Rudnik
camera: Eileen Doyle and Ginger Krebs
Epiphany Episcopal Church, Chicago 2009, 45 minutes

concept and direction: Ginger Krebs and Sara Zalek
videography and editing: Eugene Park
performance: Geoffrey Guy, Jose Hernandez, Ginger Krebs, Adam Paul, Jon Poindexter, Aurora Tabar and Sara Zalek

Out of Site, Chicago, 2014

concept, direction and performance: Ginger Krebs
camera: Eugene Park
sound includes excerpts by David Lang and Lovely Midget
The Chicago Cultural Center, 2014, 20 minutes

concept, direction and performance: Andy Braddock and Ginger Krebs
sound: Ginger Krebs, with an excerpt by Andreas Ammer
camera: Will Goss
The Dance Center of Columbia College, Chicago 2010, 12 minutes