By Sarah Mitchell

The Fluid Festival’s Urban Culture Cabaret had something for everyone in seventy-five minutes.  From street dance with Pulse Studio to amazing poetry from Calgary’s Slam Poet Team, this show was filled with humour, great dancing, and thought provoking ideas. Each performance had something different to offer the audience, and many pieces resonated with me even after the show was over. 

For my first time seeing poetry live, this was definitely the introduction that I needed. The first poet of the night was Erin Dingle who performed a poem regarding women’s menstrual cycles. Now this could’ve been portrayed as awkward, but Dingle’s wit and way with words drew the audience in and started the night on a high note. Every word was enunciated perfectly in regards to the message of the poem and it left the audience laughing. Dingle’s poetry definitely made me a fan of the art. 

The next piece that stood out in my mind was Tony Tran’s vogue style solo. This performance was not only extremely witty, with Tran’s music changing part way, giving him enough time to apply chapstick; but it was also well choreographed and performed. His fast hands left me in awe, at times seeming as if they weren’tattached to him at all. Tran’s dedication to this solo created the perfect amount of intensity. 

The final piece was also a dance piece to the song “Only Human”. This piece stood out for me because of its sharp and unified choreography and its well executed story. The story had the image of a person trying to fit in and finally be good enough for once. The dancer portraying this had a white shirt on and she put a black jacket overtop. The other three dancers had black t-shirts on.  These dancers continuously tried to overpower the one in white, pulling her back and tearing her down. This push and pull continued throughout the piece until the end, where the three dancers in black removed their shirts to expose their white shirts underneath. This piece was powerful and significant to people finding their own identity and place in the world.  

Overall, the Urban Culture Cabaret was a memorable experience and a great addition to the Fluid Festival’s lineup. This performance started the Fluid Festival on a high note for me, and I can’t wait to experiencemore of what Calgary’s arts scene has to offer.

The Fluid Festival’s “Urban Culture Cabaret” had something for everyone in seventy-five minutes.  From street dance with Pulse Studio to amazing poetry from Calgary’s Slam Poet Team, this show was filled with humour, great dancing, and thought provoking ideas. Each performance had something different to offer the audience, and many pieces resonated with me even after the show was over. 

For my first time seeing poetry live, this was definitely the introduction that I needed. The first poet of the night was Erin Dingle who performed a poem regarding women’s menstrual cycles. Now this could’ve been portrayed as awkward, but Dingle’s wit and way with words drew the audience in and started the night on a high note. Every word was enunciated perfectly in regards to the message of the poem and it left the audience laughing. Dingle’s poetry definitely made me a fan of the art. 

The next piece that stood out in my mind was Tony Tran’s vogue style solo. This performance was not only extremely witty, with Tran’s music changing part way, giving him enough time to apply chapstick; but it was also well choreographed and performed. His fast hands left me in awe, at times seeming as if they weren’tattached to him at all. Tran’s dedication to this solo created the perfect amount of intensity. 

The final piece was also a dance piece to the song “Only Human”. This piece stood out for me because of its sharp and unified choreography and its well executed story. The story had the image of a person trying to fit in and finally be good enough for once. The dancer portraying this had a white shirt on and she put a black jacket overtop. The other three dancers had black t-shirts on.  These dancers continuously tried to overpower the one in white, pulling her back and tearing her down. This push and pull continued throughout the piece until the end, where the three dancers in black removed their shirts to expose their white shirts underneath. This piece was powerful and significant to people finding their own identity and place in the world.  

Overall, the “Urban Culture Cabaret” was a memorable experience and a great addition to the Fluid Festival’s lineup. This performance started the Fluid Festival on a high note for me, and I can’t wait to experiencemore of what Calgary’s arts scene has to offer.