As part of a multimedia survey of contemporary Native American art, DiverseWorks is presenting The Thank-You Bar, a performance/installation by Alaskan-born choreographer Emily Johnson. If you haven’t reserved tickets yet, you might want to get on that — this is going to be an intimate show with limited seating.

During the performance, the audience will be positioned on stage, seated in swivel chairs in a semi-circle around the performers and musicians, for a performance that’s described as a mix of dance, music and storytelling. Johnson walks on stilts, plays an invisible Yup’ik drum, lounges in a plastic kiddie pool and appears with dead fish strapped to her arms. It’s all part of her exploration of the idea of home, layered in Native American myth, music and storytelling.
And it’s appropriate for all ages — somewhat of a rarity for the edgy DiverseWorks. That’s not to say it won’t be provocative — particularly to our sense of smell. (Let’s hope those fish are fresh.) 9:30 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. DiverseWorks, 1117 East Freeway. For information, call 713-335-3445 or visit www.diverseworks.org. Pay-what-you-can to $25.

April 28-30, 2011

This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2011.