Bad Smells
Rawe (with camera) and dancers during performance. Photo by Paul B. Goode.
Kellogg and dancers being live streamed by Rawe. Photo by Paul B. Goode.
Kellogg and Whitener perform. Photo by Paul B. Goode.
Company dancers perform in front of live video projections. Photo by Johan Elbers.
Company dancers perform in front of live video projections. Photo by Johan Elbers.
Company dancers backstage. Photo by Paul B. Goode.
Premiere
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Date
15 October 1982
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Company
Twyla Tharp Dance
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Venue
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
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Location
Vancouver, Canada
Production
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Choreographer
Twyla Tharp
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Composer
Glenn Branca (Bad Smells, 1982 *Tharp Commission)
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Lighting Designer
Jennifer Tipton
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Costume Designer
Santo Loquasto
Dancers
Barbara Hoon, Mary Ann Kellogg, Shelley Washington
John Carrafa, Raymond Kurshals, William Whitener, Keith Young
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Onstage Video Camera Operator
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Number of Dancers
7
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Runtime
00:16:30
Description
A camera operator moves onstage amongst the dancers in Bad Smells, the live video feed projected on the back wall. Extreme close-ups, inverted images and jolting camera movements create a warped reiteration of the thrashing choreography. The floor, covered in silver mylar, twists the dancers’ reflections, adding another layer of distortion to the projected image. It is in this skewed environment that the dancers perform a final act of ritual sacrifice.
Bad Smells premiered on the same program as Nine Sinatra Songs (1982), proceeding the glamorous fantasy.
Past Performances
Twyla Tharp Dance
Bad Smells (premiere) – Nine Sinatra Songs (premiere) – Sues Leg | Twyla Tharp Dance
Vancouver, Canada
October 15 1982 Premiere
Twyla Tharp Dance
Little Ballet – Assorted Quartets (a.k.a.Four Down Under) – Bad Smells – Golden Section | Twyla Tharp Dance
Melbourne, Australia
February 6 1988 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Little Ballet – Assorted Quartets (a.k.a.Four Down Under) – Bad Smells – Golden Section | Twyla Tharp Dance
Sydney, Australia
February 20 1988 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Little Ballet – Assorted Quartets (a.k.a Four Down Under) – Bad Smells – Golden Section | Twyla Tharp Dance
Perth, Australia
March 3 1988 Dance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Little Ballet – Assorted Quartets (a.k.a.Four Down Under) – Bad Smells – Golden Section | Twyla Tharp Dance
The Opera Theatre
Adelaide, Australia
March 12 1988 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Little Ballet – Assorted Quartets (a.k.a.Four Down Under) – Bad Smells – Golden Section | Twyla Tharp Dance
Canberra, Australia
March 18 1988 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Assorted Quartets (a.k.a Four Down Under) – Little Ballet – Bad Smells – Golden Section | Twyla Tharp Dance
Wellington, New Zealand
March 24 1988 TTD Performance
- 1982
- 1988