Performances will run from February 5 - 22, 2025.
The Bushwick Starr is partnering with ¡Oye! Group to present Ian Andrew Askew’s SLAMDANCE garage, a solo performance on punk and blackness. Nestled somewhere between performance art, a rock show, and an one-act opera, Ian Andrew Askew hurdles through an hour of music, movement, and text celebrating the absurdity of explaining Black people’s participation in their own culture.
SLAMDANCE garage borrows text from Nina Simone, Audre Lorde, Drexciya, and other luminaries, reharmonizing their words to the sounds of drums, distorted vocals, and the blaring resonance of a custom-one string bass. Inspired by the Malawian babatoni, Mississippi diddley-bow, and the Afro-Brazilian berimbau, the handmade instrument (nearly the same length as its player) is an homage to throughlines of musical technology that weave through the African diaspora.
Creative team: Production Designer: Cheyanne Williams, Lighting Designer: Itohan Edoloyi, Sound Designer: Anthony Sertel Dean, Movement Director: Justin Allen, Stage Manager: Sydneii Colter
Line Producer: Alverneq Lindsay
Accessibility & Communal Safety:
Masks are required at all performances and events. Help us slow the spread of airborne infections and make performances more accessible for those most affected by the ongoing pandemic. All performances will feature open captioning and select performances will feature live audio description. Please contact boxoffice@thebushwickstarr.org for more information on how we can meet your access needs.
*Photo by Machel Ross
Special events
Black Theater Night
Friday, 2/21, 7:30pm
SLAMDANCE Vendor Markets at the Starr
Featuring art, apparel, books, zines, jewelry, readings, and more!
Saturday 2/15 2:30-7:30pm
Saturday 2/22 2:30-7:30pm
Closing Party at Trans-Pecos (915 Wyckoff Ave)
Featuring performances by Justin Allen, Bri Frei, aden, FISHLORD, Fulano, Lake Lanier, and more!
Saturday 3/1 4:30pm
Videos