Expect to see Jim Mackenzie crack whips, swallow swords, walk on ropes, ride a unicycle and juggle during Jim Mackenzie and ChinaCat Dance: Ignite — A Night of Dance, Comedy and Danger. Oh, and he’ll tell a few jokes. (That takes care of the comedy section of the show.) Joining him onstage will be the ChinaCat Dance performance troupe. The company blends contemporary dance with fire. (That’s the dance and danger parts.) Needless to say, Ignite is a one-of-a-kind, over-the-top, no-holds-barred performance designed to defy audience expectations. (We can’t promise they’ll set the stage on fire, but we can’t exactly promise they won’t, either.) Mackenzie, a native Houstonian who started off as a street performer at the 1986 Houston Festival, was named a Producer’s Pick at this year’s Houston Fringe Festival. Coincidentally, ChinaCat Dance won the same award at last year’s festival.
Fri., Dec. 14, 7:30 & 10 p.m., 2012
This article appears in Jun 14-20, 2012.