Performa/Dance Presents THE MAD SCENE

Performa/Dance, Austin's world-class contemporary dance company, is lighting up the stage this summer with a full-length mad-cap romp on fame, The Mad Scene.

Fame: who doesn't want it? It means being adored, envied, desired, even feared. With the democratization and ubiquity of social media, the collapse of a private world, and the rise of the "influencer," we all have the opportunity-or misfortune!- to realize our "15 minutes of fame." And yet, the longing for fame is timeless. As France's Louis XIV, the self-titled "Sun King" and the man who popularized classical ballet once said, "In my heart I prefer fame above all else, even life itself." Louis XIV's sentiment rings contemporaneously in our attention-yearning present day.

Skipping through time periods and rollicking in anachronisms, The Mad Scene begins in the 17th century court, makes a pit stop mid-20th century, comes to a screeching halt at our current internet-fueled celebrity culture, and in the process, skewers the veneer of performance, propaganda, and artificiality. Follow this work's ten characters as they battle to win your attention.

Performa/Dance is an award-winning 501c3 non-profit founded by Artistic Director and choreographer Jennifer Hart and Ballet Austin dancer Edward Carr. For more information, please visit: www.performadance.org.