Dancing at Burst festival

Ironic happenstance aside, I will be appearing in a dance piece, or site specific event, or as I have learnt; a scratch performance. 

‘Handbag scratch’ by Geraldine Piligrim is on for two nights as part of the Burst festival currently on at The Battersea Arts Festival.

Handbag Scratch

Geraldine Piligrim

28 May 2009 – 29 May 2009

19:00 Performances at 7pm, 7.45pm & 8.30pm

£5.00 (Concs £3.00)

Book tickets

Handbag Scratch
Geraldine Piligrim
28 May 2009 – 29 May 2009
19:00 Performances at 7pm, 7.45pm & 8.30pm
£5.00 (Concs £3.00)
Book tickets

A scratch performance is a work where the action is derived on location from what is at hand, both cast and set. From scratch so to speak.

Not much more to say (feet do the talking) so instead here’s a fantastic poem centered around a handbag, ‘Crocodile’ by Anne Baker

Crocodile

1975 Crocodile Handbag
One only
Republic of Kenya
Game Department
Legal Possession Number: 602485
Export allowed

The black scales
and shiny buckle
Momentarily caught the light
Almost ready for a fight
It must have been the moon
There was no street lamp
In that municipal darkness
of the South Cliffs

The park
Dark
Near the Coast
Close to the Dutch Spa building
Walking
Talking
On the way back from a wedding indeed
Trying to save on the money for a cab

A man ahead
Surely he was behind us
Before
Us

Dragged down the steps
By an arm around the neck
Scimpy clothes
Panty hose
Plenty of scope for a grope and worse

Frozen
Scared
In spite of those self defence classes
Bloody useless when disabled by sheer man weight and fetid anorak breath
Death turned his head
And said
Don’t be afraid
I have made
An exception
In your direction

Whack
Crack
And a crocodile once lazily skulking in the waters of Kenya
Now proudly rears its dried out self to meet a prey of a different kind
Killed, skinned, dried and tanned
No longer slithering but flying
No mud
But thud
Contact made
This crocodile is not afraid

To be saved by a creature
From another continent
Modelled into a fashion accessory
May be necessary
In this mad world.
The meeting of skins
The conjunction of violence
Epidermis
Skirmish

Not rape
But escape
Becoming yet another unreported statistical event

Reproduced with thanks to Anne Baker