Things got a little risqué in Rossland on Saturday night.
The Avant Garde Cabaret took place at the Old Fire Hall with a number of local artists performing to the delight of the audience. The evening’s entertainment ranged from the raunchy to the soulful, and from the eclectic to the hilarious.
Vesper Valentine started the night off with a raunchy burlesque number and then local singer and songwriter Lise Levesque enraptured the audience with two of her original songs. She wasn’t the only one to bring her original tunes to the stage: Sexton Black (a.k.a Nadine Tremblay) performed two poppy numbers from her new album Granted.
Juliana Marko gave a giggle-inducing performance as a staunch Donald Trump supporter. She wrote the monologue using letters from real Trump supporters, which made it almost as horrifying as it was hilarious. Marko also teamed up with Levesque and Tremblay to perform as the Real Housewives of the Kootenays. The trio performed excerpts from the musical they’re currently developing, including a song called “Kootenay Time.” Sarah Taylor and Shauna Davis got nearly as many laughs as applause with their piece “Circus Delight.” The pair played aspiring circus performers who alternated between clowning around and awing the audience with their juggling and tricks.
Visiting artist Scarlet Mary Rose performed a piece that was at once erotic, funny and tragic. According to the program, “Gruesome Love” was inspired by Czech photographer Jan Saudek, and some of Mary Rose’s poses are taken directly from his photos.
Kahlia Belli performed a modern dance piece to the song “All We Do.” In the program, Belli describes her piece as being “about disconnect from the true self and the terrifying and liberating power of vulnerability.”
The show concluded with a performance by the duo Vicious Delight, who had also performed earlier in the evening. The finale concluded with the pair coating each other in glow-in-the-dark paint.
Overall it was an excellent evening of art. Props go to Kristen Renn for being an excellent host — and for all of her wardrobe changes — and to Renn and Marko for putting together such a great show.
